Aquila Theatre puts spin on classic ‘Much Ado’ actors over-the-top at MCA

ORONO – This wasn’t a show for the purists.

Will Shakespeare probably didn’t have vinyl tank tops, pleather pants, a butt-grabbing Beatrice and a newspaper arbor in mind when he wrote “Much Ado About Nothing.” But the Aquila Theatre Company made it seem, well, normal.

Anyone familiar with the Aquila Theatre Company knows to expect the unexpected when they come to town, and Wednesday night’s performance at the Maine Center for the Arts was no exception.

Before the actors took the stage, the theme to “Goldfinger” played, giving a hint of what was in store. While the script was pure Shakespeare, the performance was more James Bond meets “Charlie’s Angels” meets “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

While the acting was loud, fun and over-the-top, everything else was minimal. There were no sets to speak of, few props and no costume changes. The men wore black suits with bowler hats and the women were wrapped in tight black plastic. Rather than wow the audience with elaborate backdrops and wild costumes, the troupe relied on the strength of the actors to move the play along.

Anthony Cochrane and Lisa Carter, who shone in Aquila’s October production of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” didn’t disappoint the audience on their return. His booming voice and her feisty demeanor brought the characters of Benedick and Beatrice to life. Benedick, who is committed to a life of bachelorhood, and Beatrice, who would sooner eat glass than marry. Of course, they fall in love, through the trickery of their friends and relatives.

Beatrice and Benedick alternately woo and spurn each other as they prepare for the wedding of Beatrice’s cousin Hero, played by the chirpy Shirleyann Kaladjian. Kaladjian’s performance was spunky, if not entirely heroic, as the shady Don John and Borachio try to sabotage the wedding.

The hilariously bumbling watchmen Dogberry and Verges (Louis Butelli and Noah Trepanier) thwart the plan when they stumble over Borachio and apprehend him.

Butelli doubles as the equally funny and flamboyant Friar Francis, while Trepanier doubles as Hero’s hubby-to-be, Claudio.

From start to finish, the cast gave an unfalteringly professional, at times surprising, performance that brought the small crowd – even the purists – to its feet.