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Appropriate ages for Much Ado About Nothing?
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DD7 is in year two now and I had planned on using some of our down time this spring to do a Shakespeare play. I was going to go with the SCM recommendation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with watching a film version after reading the children’s version. Of course I had to go onto the APT website just to check if they would by some crazy chance be putting that play on this summer. They aren’t. They are doing Much Ado About Nothing. I’m not familiar with this one and it isn’t listed in the SCM guide for any grade so I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts for me on it’s age appropriateness.
We watched the newer version of the film — the version with Emma Thompson. We ran it through our ClearPlay to filter out sexual content. I knew the film quite well, so I knew what was coming and when and the ClearPlay did a good job blocking what was inappropriate. I wouldn’t watch that one with a child of any age without the filtering. I’m not sure how much a play would include. There is definitely inappropriate philanderings, but those are brief and the rest is excellent. hth
Much Ado: In the reading of the play, the supposed infidelity is talked about between characters, but not shown. The movie shows it more. The movie is very well done though, but yes, it requires skipping a few scenes.
Shakespeare’s plays usually have something in them that require a little “navigating”. Even if it isn’t part of the main story, there are crass jokes, talk of extra-marital lovers, etc. The good thing is that much of this goes over the heads of younger ones because of the language.
You can find a paraphrase of both plays online and read through them and see which one best fits your family’s needs. Google “modern paraphrase” along with the title of your play and you will get several sites. (Don’t let your kids read these – just for your personal research)
We attended our first Much Ado performance when my kids were 6, 10, and 12. DO be careful of the movies. Especially the one that came out this year. It is BEAUTIFUL, but it needs a very serious warning. (Loved it in general but for some dumb reason, they turned Conrade into a WOMAN and had bedroom scenes with Don John. WHY oh why? I do not know. Otherwise it was a stellar movie.)
Do Much Ado! It’s my favorite play. I always drag the kids to a performance when I can.
Thank you for the input. If we have a chance to go to the APT, I doubt we would bother with a movie. So it’s as much of a go as any other tame Shakespeare. 🙂 Now to see what kind of child friendly retellings of Much Ado are out there…
Another thought — have you looked at Shakespeare in Bits? It is being offered at the Homeschool Buyer’s Coop. It is animated, and includes a transcript. I keep considering it as a fun add-in, but I haven’t purchased it yet. It does say for grades 7-12 though.
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