The University Theatre will be performing Shakespeare classic “Much Ado About Nothing”, but with a twist. 
Director Tim Ocel takes the play, originally set in the late 1500s in Italy and transports it to 1936 in Italy. Historically, this is the year that Italy returned from a successful invasion of Ethiopia. The play begins with the soldiers returning home from the war.
Ocel will serve as the guest director for the production, but is no stranger to stage directing. He has experience with directing opera, having directed at theaters such as Union Avenue Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, New Opera St. Louis and Boston Lyric Opera. He also has experience directing plays. He has done so for Indiana Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Geva Theatre Center.
“Much Ado About Nothing” is not Ocel’s first time directing Shakespeare. A few he has directed include “As You Like It,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Despite the change of scenery, the themes of love and deception remain the same.
“From the moment we began researching the state of Italy in 1936, my cast-mates and I began seeing the show through new eyes. The setting Tim has selected reveals new things within the text and fuels the character’s motives and emotional states,” cast member Katie McGee said.
McGee plays Beatrice, the cousin of Hero, who was previously wronged by the man she loved, Benedick. McGee described her as a seemingly strong woman with a warm interior.
“She is a pioneer of sorts in women’s rights and the feminist movement. She has previously been wronged by Benedick, the only man she has ever allowed in. Overtime she has covered herself with a resistant witty exterior,” McGee said.
In the play, Benedick returns from the war and reenters Beatrice’s life. It is this event that takes place in one of McGee’s favorite scenes.
“My favorite scene varies depending on the day. Today it is the very first time [Benedick] and [Beatrice] see each other in the train station after [Benedick] returns from the war. Their wit and intrigue seems to crackle,” McGee said.
Throughout the play, Benedick and Beatrice engage in a war of wits. However, once Benedick comes back into her life, Beatrice begins to let her guard down.
“Throughout the play, we watch this exterior chip away until she reaches a state of vulnerability that opens a door for Benedick to reenter her life,” McGee said.
This is not McGee’s first encounter with Shakespeare. Five years ago, she played in another production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”
“It is a joy to do the show again, because I get to revisit the text and discover new things within it,” McGee said.
However, Beatrice is one of her first Shakespearean roles. This proved to be a challenge for McGee, she said.
“I adore Beatrice’s immense sensitivity and compassion that she attempts to hide behind her wit…Staying on top of the language and actively listening to each other has been the most exciting challenge to conquer,” McGee said.
McGee, currently a senior, has acted in many University Theatre productions in her time at Saint Louis University. These experiences have fostered learning and growth in her acting career.
“Onstage I have begun finding characters within myself as opposed to portraying them more externally,” McGee said.
“Much Ado About Nothing” will run Feb. 25-26 and March 4-6. The play will start at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. It will take place at the University Theatre located in Xavier Hall. Tickets are $10, $9 for senior citizens, $9 for SLU faculty and staff, and $7 for all students. For additional information call the box office at 314-977-3327.
