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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. 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Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. 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Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 'Much Ado About Nothing' kicks off OSF's 2015 season Comment By Bill Varble for Revels DailyTidings.com By Bill Varble for Revels Posted Feb. 19, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 19, 2015 at 6:34 PM By Bill Varble for Revels Posted Feb. 19, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 19, 2015 at 6:34 PM » RELATED CONTENT • A look at the first plays » Social News Stories of a lover tricked into believing his beloved is unfaithful have been around at least since ancient Rome. But it fell to Shakespeare to give such a tale perhaps its most delightful telling ever in "Much Ado About Nothing." The comedy will open the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 80th season at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 (with previews beginning Feb. 20) in OSF's Angus Bowmer Theatre, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, an East Coast director who is making her OSF debut. Blain-Cruz describes the production's design as "contemporary verging on the fantastical" and "romantic, not realism per se." "Much Ado" has two main plots, with the brilliant, more mature pair of Beatrice and Benedick trading witty barbs, and the young lovers Claudio and Hero trying to figure out who they are and what's real in a complicated world. "I think they share the play," Blain-Cruz says of the two pairs of lovers. "Really, it's about identity. And they're equal in importance." The word "honor," she points out, occurs often in the play, as does the word "nothing." All this attention to words points to their power, she says, but the power of words in the play's world prove to be a double-edged sword. "It allows Beatrice and Benedick to find their love," she says. "But it destroys Hero. In the human relationship to language — the complications of living in a very dense society, right? — it's a wonderful complication." Benedick has returned from war in the service of Don Pedro, along with his friend, Claudio. They land at the estate of Leonato, the uncle of Beatrice, who was an orphan, and the father of Hero. Nothing (there's that word again) is quite as it appears. Beatrice and Benedick's banter serves them to hide their mutual attraction to each other. Claudio, gulled by the bastard Don John, levels an ugly accusation at Hero. Will Beatrice and Benedick admit their love? Will Claudio see through Don John? Will Hero forgive and forget? And can a rustic constable, the linguistically challenged Dogberry, help in the search for justice? The cast features Christiana Clark as Beatrice, Danforth Comins as Benedick, Jack Willis as Leonato, Cristofer Jean as Don Pedro, Leah Anderson as Hero, Carlo Alban as Claudio, Regan Linton as Don John, Barret O'Brien as Borachio and Rex Young as Dogberry. Scenic design is by Scott Bradley, costumes by Kara Harmon, lighting by Yi Zhao and music and sound by Chad Raines. Blain-Cruz, a Princeton graduate from New York City and Miami, is a co-founder and director of the ensemble company Overhead Projector, which devises new work for the stage, an artistic associate of The Exchange and The Orchard Project, and a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab. She was a co-artistic director of Yale Cabaret in 2011-12. Blain-Cruz, who once directed a student production of "Much Ado" at Princeton, doesn't go along with those who see the youthful Claudio as a gullible and cruel cad unworthy of Hero's love. "This production is trying to give him the benefit of the doubt," she says. "He's been primed (against women) by Benedick. He has a complicated journey." She says she even sees the motivation of the bastard, Don John, whose villainy creates the crisis for Hero and Claudio. "I've always been fascinated by him," she says. "He says he must be what he is. He's constantly been at a disadvantage, having to live not as an equal (to his legitimate brother, Don Pedro)." She says Shakespeare's script clearly hints that Benedick and Beatrice have been involved before the time of the play. "I think they had a history," she says. "This isn't their first go-round." "Much Ado About Nothing" will run in the Bowmer through Nov. 1. Reach Medford freelance writer Bill Varble at [email protected]. By Bill Varble for Revels DailyTidings.com By Bill Varble for Revels Posted Feb. 19, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 19, 2015 at 6:34 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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