Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing As A Podcast

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare, set in Messina, Italy, that contrasts two love stories: the witty, antagonistic relationship between Beatrice and Benedick, and the seemingly straightforward romance between Hero and Claudio, which the villainous Don John nearly ruins. The play, written around 1598–1599, features a “merry war” of words, deception, mistaken identity, and the bumbling but effective night watchman, Dogberry, who ultimately helps expose the plot and leads to a double wedding.

The play is known for its sharp wit, wordplay, and the comedic relief provided by the bumbling constable Dogberry and his watchmen, who uncover the plot.

It explores themes of love, honor, shame, deception, and the contrast between appearance and reality. It is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, blending humor with darker undertones that foreshadow his later tragedies.

Episode 1 of “Much Ado About Nothing” was released in early December.

Here’s an official blurb on the title: Set in the French Riviera at the height of post-war euphoria, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy about bantering rivals who become reluctant lovers and youthful sweethearts who are nearly thwarted by jealous scoundrels is a romp through a maze of relationships, gossip, passion, persecution and forgiveness. Translated into modern English verse by Ranjit Bolt and directed by Brendon Fox, with original music composition and sound design by Lindsay Jones.

The Play On Podcasts series Much Ado About Nothing was written by William Shakespeare and translated into modern English verse by Ranjit Bolt. All episodes were directed by Brendon Fox. Radio play by Catherine Eaton.

Next Chapter is an independent podcast production house dedicated to original, authentic storytelling. Next Chapter proudly informs us: “We are a progressive organization looking to make the world a better place, and lift up marginalized communities through the spoken word. We are a team of producers and sound designers, engineers, and artists with unique experience to excel in podcast production from concept to creation.”

Play On Podcasts is an epic audio adventure reimagining timeless tales, featuring original music compositions and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. Past seasons included Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Love's Labor’s Lost.

Play On Podcasts reimagines Shakespeare’s timeless tales, featuring original musical compositions and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. Remarkably, the podcast is superb in so many ways. The original music is delightful and enchanting. The acting bristles with emotive energy. The plays they re-enact are much more Laurence Olivier in Hamlet than Mel Gibson in Hamlet. The scripted plays facilitate Shakespearean humor, wit, and sarcasm to flow through them.

Most importantly, the plays are scripted in modern English verse for modern audiences. Therefore, the age-old excuse that you don’t like Shakespeare because you can’t understand the words has vanished.

My first play on Play On was Othello, which began in September 2023. The play was divided into seven episodes of about 35 minutes each. Then, Play On releases bonus content, typically with the playwright who reimagined the Shakespearean classic in modern verse or one of the actors.

The cast is as follows:

Tracie Lane as Beatrice

Reg Rogers as Benedick

Tea Guarino as Hero

Zion Lang as Claudio

Carman Matthew Lacivita as Don Pedro

Alejandro Escalante as Margaret and Conrade

Demosthenes Chrysan as Leonato

Dee Nelson as Antonia

Brian Owen as Dogberry

Stephen Michael Spencer as Borachio

Evan Zes as Naval Cadet, Outcake, and Seacoal

Luis Moreno as Don John and The Sexton

Mary Bacon as Deacon Francis and Verges

Casting by The Tesley Office: Karyn Casl, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: Julie Foh.

Original music composition, Mix and Sound Design by Lindsay Jones. Vocal arrangement and music direction by Stephen Michael Spencer. Sound engineering and mixing by Sadaharu Yagi. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: Larry Walsh. Podcast Mastering by Greg Cortez at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: Transcend Streaming (Kyra Bowie and Leanna Keyes).

The Play On Podcast Series Much Ado About Nothing is produced by Next Chapter Podcasts and is made possible by the generous support of The Hitz Foundation. Visit nextchapterpodcasts.com for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit playonshakespeare.org for more about Play On Shakespeare.