Much Ado About Nothing

Description

Joseph Papp's 1972 CBS-TV production of the New York Shakespeare Festival's Broadway staging of Shakespeare's rollicking comedy is brassy, bouncy, and altogether entertaining. Featuring Sam Waterston and the Tony-nominated performances of Kathleen Widdoes and Barnard Hughes, Papp's turn-of-the-century version has Teddy Roosevelt roughriders and bicycle-riding women suffragettes, while remaining faithful to the classic tale: Beatrice and Benedick are still sparring partners fighting their merry war of words; the evil Don Jon continues conspiring to break up the wedding of Hero and Claudio; and it's once again up to Dogberry to save the day. Critically acclaimed and enormously popular with audiences, this production of Much Ado About Nothing - which was transferred to Broadway after originating at the open-air Delacorte Theatre in Central Park - was perceived as the first successful Shakespeare to play without a major star in Broadway history. The CBS broadcast was seen by 20 million people.

Runtime

155 min

Contributor

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c1974

Database

Films on Demand

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