CLARKSTON, Ga. – Shakespeare meets 1980s Wall Street in the Theatre Arts Guild production of the comedy “Much Ado About Nothing,” opening Friday, Oct. 20, in the Cole Auditorium at Georgia State University’s Clarkston Campus.
The play is set not in an Italian countryside but at “Messina, Inc.,” a 1980s “Wall Street” corporation where office romance, gossip and intrigue take center stage.
Hair is big and shoulders are padded in this version of the classic comedy, said Lindsay Bytof, who directs the play. The dialogue will be all Shakespeare, but the characters and music will take their cue from John Hughes’ films, she said.
“I have a lot of nostalgia for the ’80s and loved all the John Hughes movies,” said Bytof, who teaches theatre at the Clarkston Campus. She cites the films “Baby Boom” and “Working Girl” for her inspiration of how women are portrayed in “Much Ado.”
The production features a cast of Georgia State students, Perimeter College students and a recent Atlanta campus graduate. Perimeter staff, as well as community members and Theatre Arts Guild alumni also fill roles.
If you’re going: “Much Ado About Nothing,” opens Friday, Oct. 20, at the Cole Auditorium at Georgia State University’s Clarkston Campus. The theater is in the Fine Arts Building at the campus, 3735 Memorial College Ave., Clarkston. Performances are 8 p.m., Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-28, with 3 p.m. performances Oct. 22 and Oct. 29. The Friday, Oct. 20, performance will be interpreted for the deaf. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 with Georgia State employee and/or student ID; free for Perimeter College students. For information, call 678-851-3572 or email [email protected]. Order tickets at tag.tix.com