"Much Ado About Nothing" by Frosted Glass Creative at Rustic Roots Winery

On my way home from St. Croix Festival Theatre to see their super fun production of Kate Hamill's Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B last weekend, I stopped at the gorgeous Rustic Roots Winery in Scandia to catch the final performance of Frosted Glass Creative's production of Much Ado About Nothing. It turned out to be a lovely theater road trip day. Outdoors really is my favorite way to experience Shakespeare; it's so much more fun, playful, and accessible. Frosted Glass Creative has performed at Yellow Tree and other locations around town and along the St. Croix River, but this was my first experience with them. And hopefully not my last; their next show is my sentimental favorite The Sound of Music, performed outdoors in Stillwater for one weekend in August. They seem to have taken up the mantle of "Broadway on the St. Croix" after Zephyr Theatre dropped it, and I'm glad they're continuing this fun tradition of outdoor musicals in beautiful Stillwater.

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's best comedies, the original rom-com. It's having quite a moment lately. Speaking of theater road trips, I saw Much Ado twice last year, at Great River Shakespeare Festival (Winona, MN) and American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI). And Gray Mallard Theatre Company has also chosen it for their free outdoor Shakespeare at Sociable Cider Werks (July 17 - August 3). I can't blame them; the witty banter between we-hate-each-other-so-much-we-must-be-in-love duo Beatrice and Benedick truly is the best. Since this show has already come and gone with the wind, I'll just give you a few highlights:

• First of all: the setting. Sitting outdoors in the shaded pavilion, with row upon row of grapevines as the backdrop for the play, sipping a wine slushie - it simply couldn't be more pleasant.
• #TCTheater fave Craig Johnson directs the play with a sense of fun and playfulness, making the 400+ year old play feel fresh and accessible, as Shakespeare should be.
• The cast is chock full of U of M/Guthrie BFA students and recent graduates, which is always a good thing. Chief among them are Catherine Maki and Logan Lang as everyone's favorite bickering couple Beatrice and Benedick. Both are sharp and funny, and Logan performs with a fearless physicality that has him rolling around on the ground and sneaking through the audience.
• A couple more BFA kids (as I like to call them, having graduated college in the previous century), Porter Eldredge and Hanna Olson are sweet as the young lovers Claudio and Hero (although it's never not disappointing how quickly Claudio believes Hero's infidelity).
• Other highlights in the large and talent cast include Jonathan Feld as the good prince Don Pedro, Carl Swanson as his evil bastard brother Don John, David Beukema as the ridiculous constable Dogberry, and Brandt Roberts as his (a little too) loyal sidekick.
• The show is infused with music, before and during, both period-appropriate songs and theme-appropriate pop songs, and some lovely dancing too (composition and music direction by Ani Tonoyan, choreography by Isabella Spiess).
• With a setting this gorgeous and timeless, you don't need much set design. But the stone castle facade and a couple of hedges to hide behind add to the beautiful nature setting (including a real tree in the space that's incorporated into the scenery). Costumes are modern but classic, and range from military uniforms to wedding attire (scenic design by Franz Hall, costume design by A. Emily Heaney).

Moral of the story - anytime you have a chance to see Shakespeare outdoors, take it. Follow Frosted Glass Creative for details on their upcoming production of The Sound of Music and other future shows.

photo by Craig Johnson