THEATER REVIEWS : Much ‘Ado,’ Slightly Less Shakespeare

With its outdoor production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” the Irvine Community Theatre joins that optimistic group that participates in the “summer Shakespeare” phenomenon.

It is Shakespeare. It is summer. It is outdoors, and it is optimistic. But far short of phenomenal.

Lee Clark’s staging--on the back steps of the recreation building in which the group usually mounts its production--is inventive, interestingly blocked. There is a not-too-insistent updating to the present, and Clark has injected some amusing anachronisms: Dogberry’s guards stamp their feet and shout their lines in Marine Corps cadence; one of the guards, attacking Borachio, says “C’mon, punk, make my day.” Cute.

But the play is Shakespeare, and Clark has come up with only a few actors who have much of an idea how to proceed with that. There is much ado here, but not much of it would be recognized by the Bard.

One advantage to the very youthful approach that Clark has taken: The several romantic leads look young and, to good effect, they act young. It’s refreshing.

Della Lisi and Robert Spors are charming as Beatrice and Benedick. Their initial petty bickering and their later mercurial shift to romantic bantering and true love are the stuff of collegiate years, the age probably intended by Shakespeare. Karl Persons’ Claudio and Jenny McKenzie’s Hero are similarly framed, and though they don’t have the high energy of Lisi and Spors, they work well together.

*

Geryl Anderson is very strong as the nasty Don John, who causes all the mischief in this tale of love almost destroyed by evil gossip, and Bill Carden is just as solid in the small role of Friar Francis.

But the remainder of the cast is at a loss, none more so than Art Winslow as Hero’s father, Leonato. The night this reviewer attended, Winslow barely knew his lines. And Dan Lookabill missed Dogberry by miles, apparently not having seen the great comic possibilities. His character sounded as straight as a CHP officer describing a highway accident for television news.

* “Much Ado About Nothing,” Turtle Rock Community Park, 1 Sunnyhill Drive, Irvine. Saturday, June 25, 5 p.m. (An indoor performance will be given Friday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Deerfield Community Park, 44 Deerfield West in Irvine). Pay what you can. (714) 542-1306. Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes. Robert Spors Benedick

Della Lisi Beatrice

Karl Person Claudio

Jenny McKenzie Hero

Art Winslow Leonato

Geryl Anderson Don John

Dorsey Watson Don Pedro

Bill Carden Friar Francis

An Irvine Community Theatre production of William Shakespeare’s comedy, directed by Lee Clark. Fight choreography: Craig Bonde and Rosario Morra. Stage manager: Joann Urban.