Kenny Leon’s free Shakespeare in Central Park production of Much Ado About Nothing appears to be an unchallenging evening of delightful hijinks provided by a superlative all-African-American cast led by a blazingly witty and strong Danielle Brooks as the merry Beatrice and a virile yet comically vulnerable Grantham Coleman as Benedick, her adversary on the field of love and words. But Leon places the Bard’s lighthearted comedy within a serious framework. Beowulf Boritt’s lush setting depicts an Atlanta, Georgia townhouse with a huge campaign banner reading “Stacey Abrams 2020.” Before she begins expertly doling out Beatrice’s tangy observations on love and marriage, Brooks sings Marvin Gaye’s 1971 “What’s Going On,” which was inspired by incidents of police brutality. The war Benedick and his followers are returning from appears to be one of civil disobedience. They enter carrying protest signs (“Hate Is Not a Family Value”) as the play begins and exit the same way at the end when sirens interrupt the happy couples’ nuptials.
Benedick’s comrade Claudio (dashing Jeremie Harris) wrongfully accuses his fiancee Hero (lovely Margaret Odette) of infidelity and, rather than weakly taking it, Hero strikes Claudio before forgiving him. Leon has wisely underplayed these contemporary references, allowing them to seamlessly blend with Shakespeare’s timeless comedy. Kudos also to Chuck Cooper’s fatherly Leonato, Billy Eugene Jones’ commanding Don Pedro, and Hubert Point-Du Jour’s sinister Don John.
