Bard in the Bush to bring original take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to Mandurah parks

One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays will enchant audiences in Mandurah this month in scenic outdoor showings, with a twist in the tale devised by local performers.

Bard in the Bush will return for its fourth Shakespeare-inspired production with a new take on the comedy Much Ado About Nothing across three free shows.

Performers will take to the stage under the stars at outdoor venues on April 25 at Batavia Reserve in Wannanup and on April 26 and 27 at Quarry Park in Meadow Springs.

Director and producer Ruby Liddelow said the play was chosen as the group’s latest Shakespeare adaptation because of the “fiery war of wits” between characters and its ability to be adapted to a modern context.

Liddelow leads a crew of local creatives and performers for the original production, which she said promises “love at first sight, hate at first banter, an enemies to lovers set-up scheme, out-of-pocket jokes, rubbish poetry and lashings of folk dance”.

“The cast of Much Ado is all women, which we think is great fun in juxtaposition to the original mode of Shakespeare’s plays, which were performed by men only,” she said.

“We have made some fun and surprising changes in our adapted text to accommodate for this.

“The process Bard in the Bush uses to adapt the text is one that tries to convey the story in the original spirit of the Bard — a way that is silly, gritty, saucy and witty.

“We splice together an equal blend of Shakespeare’s original writing with dialogue and jokes in modern English to make the performance as accessible and relatable to our own community as possible.”

Ms Liddelow said although the performances were free, attendees could make a donation after the shows to help support Bard in the Bush’s future productions.

The production is sponsored by the City of Mandurah‘s community grants program and Bendigo Community Bank Halls Head, and supported by the Murray Music and Drama Club.

For tickets, visit bit.ly/3TV6zox