At the Delacorte in Central Park, the Public Theatre’s first of two free Summer Shakespeare offerings is Much Ado About Nothing. Under the direction of the redoubtable Jack O’Brian, it’s charming and delivered with natural, comic ease—which isn’t at all easy, not with Shakespeare. The excellent cast features Hamish Linklater, Lily Rabe, John Glover and Brian Stokes Mitchell—along with a lovely incidental and song score by David Yazbek, the most attractive Shakespeare score I’ve heard since the one John Morris wrote for Twelfth Night at the late, lamented Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut way back in the late 70s. If you’ve never seen Much Ado before, it’s a grand introduction. If, like me, you’re one of those longtime veterans whose first thought is, Can I possibly sit through this play yet again in my lifetime? Yes, you actually can.
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