THEATER REVIEW : There’s ‘Much Ado’ for Bard in Old Pasadena

The Knightsbridge Theatre, filling a window of opportunity, is fast becoming Pasadena’s sole Shakespearean venue. And judging by the full houses that are turning out for the current tandem of “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Othello”--with “Hamlet” opening May 13--the hunger for classical theater seems to be taking hold in Old Pasadena.

Mirthfully adapted and directed by Joseph P. Stachura, the romantic comedy contrasts two kinds of love--the moony, conventional kind represented by Hero and Claudio (the well-cast Nancy Ninn and Anthony Roush) and the intellectual, sharp-tongued variety seen in two of Shakespeare’s brightest lovers, Beatrice and Benedick.

The 12 cast members are flavorful, the pacing crisp and the language (most of it prose as opposed to verse) highly accessible, if not sometimes delivered with too much volume and speed. Deborah Riecks’ charming and candid Beatrice and Steven Memel’s cynical misogynist (turned into a joyous bridegroom by play’s end) are lovers as fresh as a basket of flowers.

Their witty combat and ultimate surrender to one another, much like the romantic combatants in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” mirror a central theme in Shakespeare: the ability to discern the difference between appearance and reality and the readiness to acknowledge mistakes.

Memel, a consistently engaging actor, catches Benedick’s dashing bravado, even occasional buffoonery. Riecks’ bold and dark Beatrice can sneer, “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me,” and actually sound more cheerful than mean-spirited.

Others in the cast who shine are the towering Christian Noble’s Don Pedro and Tim Park’s brash Borachio.

Sallie Licata’s costumes and Joel Payne’s musical interludes advance the merriment.

* “Much Ado About Nothing,” Knightsbridge Theatre, 35 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 8 p.m. Beginning May 12, show will perform Friday, 9 p.m., Saturday, 8 p.m. and Sunday 5 p.m. $15-$10. Running time: 2 hours. Ends May 21. (818) 440-0821.