Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare’s wittiest comedy, is a most delightful experience: warm-centered, unpretentious of conceit, caring for its audience, and filled with simple yet sparkling scenes celebrating the pleasures of passionate language and the timeless fun and games of courtship."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...At Chicago Shakes, Cadell approaches the tonal challenge of “Much Ado About Nothing” with a straightforward, detailed focus. She emphasizes an airy make-believe world: the Sicilian setting brings out contemporary resort wear, and she begins each act with music and the summoned dimming of lights in a gentle invitation into the fictional."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Cadell’s ensemble is in synch with the language and the comic sensibilities, with the actors engaging the audience in direct address and more. (At one point, Hay sat down next to a front-row patron and covered her face with their jacket to hide from her friends who, like Benedick’s friends, are plotting to get her to give him another chance). This is a mostly sunny and smartly goofy affair, anchored by the wit, maturity, and warmth of the leads."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Selina Cadell, is a reminder of what this company does best: Damn good Shakespeare that feels alive, precise, and joyously human."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...Shakespeare would be proud as Chicago Shakespeare truly hit it out of the park with this outstanding production. It's one of those spectacular plays that is captivating, offering entertaining themes and a narrative that will delight your soul with each performance. The vibrant energy, compelling performances, and beautiful staging make it a must-see in my book!"
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...When it comes to casts, this is one for the books! Besides Bedard, Jackson, Kang, Hay, and Fortunato, we have Erik Hellman, Felicia Oduh, Yona Moises Olivares, Jeff Parker, Tiffany Scott, the very funny Jaylon Muchison, Colin Huerta, Suzanne Hannau, Joey Chelius and the always powerful Kevin Gudahl as Leonato. Incredible talents. I think Gudahl has graced every stage in the Chicago area and is probably has the most appearances on this particular stage."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Included as part of the First Folio, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING remains one of William Shakespeares’s most popular plays, although it dates back to the late 16th century. Like THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, this comedy by the Bard is unusual in that the dialogue for characters of lower status is written in prose. But the play is filled with so much humor and heart, that this production, especially as Directed by talented Selina Cadell, is like a holiday gift for the Chicago Shakespeare audience."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is arguably Shakespeare’s best comedy, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre delivers just that, secured by the warmth, maturity and phenomenal talent of the cast. It’s good solid unadulterated Shakespeare and, though the physical comedy is uproarious, the shenanigans never overshadow the linguistic magnetism. This production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is totally irresistible!"
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Selina Cadell masterfully orchestrates a superb ensemble. Her razor-sharp focus is on fun. Cadell ensures every situation, word, and gesture is amplified for its comedic potential. The play starts with Joey Chelius transitioning from musician to messenger. He runs holding a note around the theatre and back to where he was to deliver it. The unnecessary jog is silly... and funny! It hints at the frivolity to come. From the start, the amusement is obviously curated for our pleasure."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...She hates him. He loatheItss her. "The course of true love never did run smooth." Wait, that is A Midsummer Night's Dream, but in any case, it's a Shakespearean theme that runs through many of his plays. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Much Ado About Nothing is directed by one of my favorite British actors/directors, Selina Cadell, a veteran of stage, screen, and television. The cast plays the funny, oddball, and quirky characters that I have come to expect from the gentry of the Shakespearean era. Those types of character are what Cadell is known for on my favorite British show Midsomer Murders."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Highly Recommended
"...Performed in modern dress using original Elizabethan vernacular, Much Ado About Nothing is a quintessential Shakespeare comedy that has a little something for everyone. It’s a perfect show for groundlings who might appreciate that it is not too complex and at times borders on slapstick. It’s a humorous love story with a touch of drama that pokes fun at everyone no matter their rank."
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...To produce a brilliant version of Much Ado About Nothing, tied in my opinion with A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the Bard’s funniest play, one needs, of course, gifted actors as Benedick and Beatrice, the central couple who turn from mutual loathing to a love that may be born of the lies of friends and family but still feels solid even after the lies are revealed. In addition, one needs a gifted physical performer to play the clown, Dogberry. Obviously you need more than that, but without the erudite, argumentative lovers and the bumbling, malapropism-spewing sheriff, you won’t have much of a play."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...The excitement in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater on Sunday was palpable for the return of director Selina Cadell and the opening of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” It is light, airy fare, after all, with the perfect holiday mix for Navy Pier— a romantic comedy framed in a drama of deception, briskly staged and presented with a wink and a nod for the delight of audiences of all ages."
MaraTapp.org
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production is several delightful hours that speed by courtesy of many stars from our city’s dramatic universe, including these two whose antics keep them in the thick of the amusing mess. The Bs employ their equally matched wits to one-up each other with gusto, which leads to some mighty entertaining verbal sparring that often has an intellectual edge. Deborah Hay’s tightly wound Beatrice flits and struts about like a nervous bird pecking at Benedick. Hays gives us a woman who is smart and delivers her delicious digs with snappy disdain. Mark Bedard plays Benedick as a nerdy jumble of nerves, which is fitting. His transformation is a pleasure to watch. The fact that they are an older couple adds the heft of experience to their commentaries and monologues on life, love and, yes, gender."
Werner's Theatre Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...Shakespeare’s romantic comedies rely heavily on the strength of their leading couples, and Deborah Hay and Mark Bedard bring both charm and bite to Beatrice and Benedick. Their sharp-tongued exchanges and natural chemistry energize every scene they share. Beyond the humor, both actors navigate the play’s darker moments with notable restraint and emotional weight. Hay’s anger and anguish after Hero’s public disgrace and Bedard’s quiet determination as he challenges Claudio immediately shifts the production’s tone, drawing the audience from laughter into focused attention."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...“Much Ado About Nothing” is the original screwball comedy. Before we had Rosalind Russell battling Cary Grant, or Katharine Hepburn outwitting Spencer Tracy, we had Beatrice and Benedick, sworn enemies to each other and to love. You know it’s going to end well, but the trip will be twisted and hilarious."
