In the familiar structure of the earlier episodes of this series, the program on "Much Ado About Nothing" barely scratches the surface of unlocking how the genius of Shakespeare was at work in this remarkable play that touches on both comedy and tragedy. While the abundant film clips effectively present the glorious repartee of Shakespeare, the truth about the original staging of "Much Ado" is never uncovered.
Helen Hunt had performed the role of Beatrice opposite Tom Irwin's Benedict, and she is the tour guide for the program. As always, the production crew moves to Stratford to try to discover clues from the Birthplace Trust, and Hunt meets with the curator to learn the source of Shakespeare's "Much Ado" from Bandello's novella written in Italian. The original story focused on the Hero-Claudio plot, but the central relationship of Beatrice and Benedict was Shakespeare's invention.
Instead of looking at the court to find the role models for Beatrice and Benedict, the program limits its scope to Stratford, making the untenable hypothesis that Susanna Shakespeare may have had a connection to Shakespeare's character because she was described as "witty" on her gravestone in Holy Trinity Chapel!
Having failed to turn up convincing evidence from Holy Trinity, the Birthplace Home, the Stratford Grammar School, or the Birthplace Trust, the production team moves to the Globe Theater in London to focus on production techniques, starting on the premise that the author Shakespeare was writing for the large, bare stage at the Globe.
The two key moments described in the program are the "gulling" scenes with Benedict and Beatrice in hiding and eavesdropping on others' conversations about them. That is when both characters begin to realize that they are both loved and deeply in love with each other. These scenes would work best in the intimate environment of the court, not the large, neutral stage of the Globe. As long as the source of Shakespeare's stagecraft is considered to be the Globe, then the more that the true author of the plays will be hidden from view. In other words, "Shakespeare Uncovered" is actually closer to "Shakespeare Covered Up."
Helen Hunt had performed the role of Beatrice opposite Tom Irwin's Benedict, and she is the tour guide for the program. As always, the production crew moves to Stratford to try to discover clues from the Birthplace Trust, and Hunt meets with the curator to learn the source of Shakespeare's "Much Ado" from Bandello's novella written in Italian. The original story focused on the Hero-Claudio plot, but the central relationship of Beatrice and Benedict was Shakespeare's invention.
Instead of looking at the court to find the role models for Beatrice and Benedict, the program limits its scope to Stratford, making the untenable hypothesis that Susanna Shakespeare may have had a connection to Shakespeare's character because she was described as "witty" on her gravestone in Holy Trinity Chapel!
Having failed to turn up convincing evidence from Holy Trinity, the Birthplace Home, the Stratford Grammar School, or the Birthplace Trust, the production team moves to the Globe Theater in London to focus on production techniques, starting on the premise that the author Shakespeare was writing for the large, bare stage at the Globe.
The two key moments described in the program are the "gulling" scenes with Benedict and Beatrice in hiding and eavesdropping on others' conversations about them. That is when both characters begin to realize that they are both loved and deeply in love with each other. These scenes would work best in the intimate environment of the court, not the large, neutral stage of the Globe. As long as the source of Shakespeare's stagecraft is considered to be the Globe, then the more that the true author of the plays will be hidden from view. In other words, "Shakespeare Uncovered" is actually closer to "Shakespeare Covered Up."
