The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
“To come up with this show we had to practice every week for three and a half months. In total we had over 50 rehearsal sessions. One of the greatest challenges we faced was that we did not know the kind of set we were going to be on. So having to direct the actors from one scene to another outside the actual set was really demanding to me and the cast”.
THE setting and delivery of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, which opened at British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Catriona Laing’s home on June 16 was extraordinary.
When she and her team said they were taking the ambitious step of staging a full production to mark 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, they meant every word of it.
Ok, the cast were seasoned actors and taking on a three-hour play is no joke. The signs of inexperience popped up occasionally as some actors forgot their lines and lacked cohesion on set. Those errors aside, the delivery was top notch: Shakespeare was definitely smiling from his grave as the cast gave an exquisite modern feel to his play, making it relevant to the millennials in the audience.
Factors like lighting and sound were well-synchronised and the costumes added pizzazz to the performance. “It’s been wonderful seeing people who have never acted before perform at this level let alone act in a Shakespeare play with language which is 400-years-old, yet they came out and shone,” said director Adrian Ellis.
“Acting in such a Shakespeare production is quite daunting but it has been a really exciting experience for me to mix people from zero experience together with the guru’s in the game.
“To come up with this show we had to practice every week for three and a half months. In total we had over 50 rehearsal sessions. One of the greatest challenges we faced was that we did not know the kind of set we were going to be on. So having to direct the actors from one scene to another outside the actual set was really demanding to me and the cast.
“The set was fortunately completed a few days before the show and that gave us time to do some dress rehearsals and adapt to the new environment. Overall, I really enjoyed watching the cast preform and commit to their characters. I was also very happy to see the audience responding well to the show, as people were laughing out loud throughout the show proving that we managed to deliver.”
The production would not have been a success had it not been for the sponsors.
“We are so very grateful to all the sponsors who came on board to make sure this show will be a success,” said Ambassador Laing. “The cost of putting up such a production is very high and hence we made it a one-off show.”
Upon arrival, guests — mainly captains of industry and diplomats — were treated to mulled wine and snacks whilst being entertained by violinists as they watched the sunset. The heaters were turned on and everybody got seated and the play commenced.
