Zindzi Okenyo will finally be front and centre where she belongs when she stars as the whip-smart Beatrice in Bell Shakespeare’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing. In case you missed reading it at school, Much Ado is pretty much the original romantic comedy, and features one of Shakespeare’s most-loved couples, Beatrice and Benedick, who banter and swap barbs until their friends decide to bring them together.
Don’t expect it to be all hearts and flowers though – Bell Shakespeare associate director James Evans promises to bring out the play’s darker conflicts as well, in particular the female characters’ struggle for identity and self-knowledge in a male-dominated world.
"The story flips from uproarious comedy to utter heartbreak in an instant, and then back again. That is the genius of Shakespeare, and why this play is one of my favourites,” he says.
Sparring with Okenyo as Benedick will be Duncan Ragg (The Dance of Death), alongside Mandy Bishop, Will McDonald, Vivienne Awosoga, Danny Ball, Marissa Bennet, Suzanne Pereira, Paul Reichstein and David Whitney.