'Much Ado' to launch company

To any student of the Bard, it's a given that Shakespeare belongs to the world, that his work speaks to all people of all eras in our fundamental human conceits and concerns.

One may as well laugh at human foibles, and Shakespeare offered us just such a comedic romp -- not without serious undertones -- in "Much Ado About Nothing."

Laura Rose, artistic director of the new Holy City Shakespeare theater company, chose the play for the group's inaugural production.

Underscoring the idea that Shakespeare shines in any time period, she transferred the action from Elizabethan England to a small Southern town at the end of World War II.

"Being a comedy about the battle of the sexes, yes, it's very modern," says Rose. "But we had to put this in a decade distant enough that we can imagine a character nearly being destroyed over the question of her chastity."

"Much Ado" pivots on the antics of two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero.

The former are waging a "merry war" proclaiming their disdain for love, marriage and each other.

On the other hand, moon-eyed youngsters Claudio and Hero are smitten by the power of their love. Matters reach a head when Benedick and Beatrice are deceived into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is conned into rejecting Hero at the altar, believing she has been unfaithful.

"The major conflict is that Hero, my cousin, is falsely accused. Her modesty is being questioned," says Emily Wilhoit, who plays Beatrice. "That was serious business even in the World War II-era Southern community we're setting it in. Also, the love between Beatrice and Benedick may be comedy above, but it's seriousness below. Laura's done a really great job of picking a time period that works with this story. We are making only minor, minor changes."

Love's journey

Some things never change, like the age-old struggle for power between the sexes. But Craig Trow, a transplanted Briton who stars as Benedick, says the play also offers its actors a chance to access their own experiences in developing characters.

"I moved from England to here to be with my wife, which was a big, bold step for me," he says. "There are certain elements of that in my character. For Benedick, it may seem like small steps, but, in fact, they are huge. I've definitely had these feelings and made big decisions in my life regarding love."

Of all Shakespeare's plays, Trow thinks this is the one that resonates most today.

"We have brought it up to a modern setting, though not entirely modern. Shakespeare's language is strong and secure enough so that there is room to be adventurous."

Rose says "Much Ado" is especially interesting in that Beatrice is being held to some traditional notions (of propriety), her place in a marriage and in the home, yet she is also literature's first independent woman.

"She does not want to get married and won't let anyone boss her around. She is easy to identify with in our world. That's one of the reasons I chose the '40s, because it was the era in our history when women were straddling the two different worlds of work and home for the first time.

"It's also the story of soldiers coming home and trying to re-enter their lives," adds Rose, who plans on doing "Hamlet" next season. "Some have grown up a bit and some have been hardened. The play deals with how they reintegrated in their communities. Also, the young man Claudio in our play is African-American, so all kinds of interesting questions come up about race in the U.S."

The production also embraces live Southern folk music, to be performed by Roger Bellow and other area favorites.

Basking in the Bard

For Wilhoit, who also serves as director of the League of Charleston Theatres, Holy City Shakespeare arrives at an opportune moment.

"I'm really excited that there is a new company in town that is giving actors an opportunity to do Shakespeare," she says.

"It's fun getting to work with each other as an ensemble for the first time," she says. "Anyone who has started a theater company or watched one start up knows how hard it is to do and what a team effort it takes, assembling actors and crew willing to go the extra mile with very little outside support. It's especially true when space and venues and funding are so limited."

Rose notes that when she said the word "Shakespeare" last summer in announcing the company, many people came "out of the woodwork" hoping to participate.

"Many in our cast are experienced in Shakespeare," she says, "and we're having a lot of fun with this show. We're Shakespeare lovers, and we want others to be."