STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Beatrice has spent a lifetime trying to convince herself and others that she has no use for love.

“I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me,” she says. “He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man, and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man I am not for him.

When friends try to push her toward soldier Benedick, who is equally cynical about love, she declares, “Benedick is an infection that’s easy to catch but hard to get rid of—and he’ll drive you crazy once you’ve been infected.”

But in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About nothing” love will find a way, even if it takes a roundabout way to get there.

Laughing Stock Theatre’s Sun Valley Shakespeare in the Park is presenting the Bard’s tragedy-comedy about the fickle nature of love this week and next Ketchum’s Rotary Park. It kicks off at 6 p.m. tonight—Wednesday, Aug. 7, and continues Friday through Sunday Aug. 9-11 and Tuesday through Saturday, Aug. 13-17.

The tragedy-comedy was one of Shakespeare’s first comedies and has emerged as one of the most performed comedies of all time in the 400 years since it was first staged.

Director Colton Pometta calls it an age-old story of misunderstandings, deception and—above all—love.

“ ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ essentially means making a big deal out of nothing,” said Pometta. “In Shakespeare’s time, the word ‘nothing’ was pronounced ‘noting,’ which meant eavesdropping. All the problems in the play stem from eavesdropping, some of which is staged. None of problems exist, but people think they do because of how they misunderstand what they’re hearing.”

The play opens with a group of soldiers returning from war. Claudio, one of the soldiers is immediately smitten by Hero, the noble woman’s daughter and asks to marry her. His more cynical friend Benedict, who has spent his entire life saying that love is stupid, is not so easily wooed.

But Hero and others trick Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love by making each think that the other has fallen in love with them. Meanwhile, the villainous Don John devises to break up Claudio and Hero’s wedding by deceiving Claudio into thinking Hero has been unfaithful to him.

And, yes, it’s Shakespeare, so there is tragedy—or, at least, near-tragedy--involved.

Laughing Stock Theatre’s Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival tried to stage “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2007 amidst ash falling from the Castle Rock Fire and plumes of smoke rising over Bald Mountain. The audience rushed out during the third performance when they learned their homes were being evacuated.

Sun Valley Shakespeare in the Park reprised it the following year

“In those days, we practically had to go out on the streets to find someone to play the watchman and other roles. Now we really have a core of dedicated people,” said Patsy Wygle.

In fact, actors have come from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Some have come out the past few summers to create art in the magical setting of Sun Valley, much as the musicians with the Sun Valley Music Festival.

Jamie Wygle plays Claudio and Sean Cleary, Benedict. Aly Wepplo plays Beatrice and Amanda Wilson Maloof, Hero.

Others in the play include Patsy Wygle, Rachel Aanestad, Karen Nelsen, David Janeski, Will and Tal Hemmings, David Janeski, Matt Musgrove, Robbie and Paul Rescigno, Rebecca Larson, Jacob Sefcak and Olemich Tugas.

Owen Parmele constructed the props and Tom Carter designed the set. Danica Martino designed the costumes and Emerson Miller is serving as stage manager.

New this year is Anthime Miller, a musician from Brooklyn. This is his third project with Laughing Stock Theater but this is the first time he has been on set.

Shakespeare always had a musician with his plays, explained Pometta. Sometimes the musicians appeared in scenes; other times, they were a fly in on the wall, but their music helped set stage for  comic or tragic moments.

Miller, a Medieval and Renaissance music expert, said he sourced much of the music for the play from the Renaissance era where a lot of it was passed down through oral tradition. Then he had to translate the ancient musical scores.

“I think the music adds to the atmosphere and the building of the play,” he said. “It helps bring a play written 400 years ago more fully into our world.”

This is the fourth time Pometta has come from New York to direct Sun Valley Shakespeare in the Park.

“We decided after the pandemic we were going to devote ourselves to comedy because we thought people needed a laugh,” he said. “And here in this beautiful park it’s the perfect setting.”

Tickets are available at https://www.laughinstocktheater.com