By Soumya Mehrotra
On Thursday March 8th, Friday March 9th and Saturday March 10th, Hopkinton High School’s Drama Ensemble performed the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing in the Hopkinton High School auditorium. Valerie von Rosenvinge, Hopkinton High School’s Drama Ensemble Director chose this play while in Scotland at the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh.

“I wanted to challenge the students by doing a play that they hadn’t studied in school so that there would be no preconceived notions about the story or the characters,” says von Rosenvinge “Many of the 40 students who auditioned and joined the cast had never even heard of it, yet they were intrigued by the idea of doing Shakespeare.”

Senior Mehr Kaur, who played the lead, Beatrice, said, “The script was a little difficult to understand because of the dialogue, so we transformed it to make it a little more modern.”

“The play was supposed to be a comedy, and I’m happy that people understood the dialogue and laughed,” said Kaur, “We were all scared that most people would not understand the humor, since it is in fact a Shakespearean play.”

A “news cast” was added into the play by von Rosenvinge so that every part was summarized and was more easily understandable.

No one was expecting to have a dance number embedded in the play, but Julia Powers’ choreography kept the audience’s attention with a dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. “I think adding the dance really made the play more modern,” added Jamie Horrigan, “There was something about the dance that put the audience in a good mood and made  them sing along.”

“Leah Raczynski’s “Sigh No More” also added a modern twist to the play, as you usually don’t see songs in a play unless it’s a musical,” states Kaur.

This play was the last play that the seniors at Hopkinton High School will be performing in. “Obviously we are all upset, but these good times have to end eventually,” explains crew member Madeline Lipkin. HHS director von Rosenvinge adds, “I am sad to see them (seniors) go for they have been an important part of my life these past 4 years. Their mark on the success of this program will not be forgotten.”

“This was probably one of the best plays I have ever acted in. It was so different and it was a new experience for everyone,” says Alex Kirshy, who played Benedick.

“My favorite part was probably every time Dogberry (played by Tyler Mikulis) came out, probably because it was the funniest and he really portrayed the character well,” commented Horrigan.

“Dedicated students worked with me all throughout February break to create our set and my “parent partners in drama”, Cathy McLaughlin and Clorinda Creo-Kirshy, have been indispensable in helping to costume the actors. I honestly don’t think I could have done it without their help,” von Rosenvinge thanks.

With a huge turnout on all three nights, von Rosenvinge can’t wait till next fall as the cast and crew of the HHS Drama Ensemble work on their next performance, a musical.