Much Ado about Nothing

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night the stage of the Blackbird. The cheerful chaos and decor of the preschool, with its colorfully painted walls and a Toys R Us inventory, is converted dramatically with theater lighting, black curtains covering the walls and windows, and chairs on risers for audiences.

CCC has long been staging an annual summer musical as part of its youth drama program, but five years ago CCC owner Laurie Atwood and Blackbird artistic director Barton Bund began offering adult theater throughout the year. The current season includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Angels in America, Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, and Wednesday through Sunday, March 26-30, an all-teen production of Much Ado about Nothing.

Tailoring the classic to teens, Bund has reimagined the play as a lighthearted spring-break beach comedy — Messina is now Jamaica — complete with beach blankets, air mattresses, tanning mirrors, shorts, and Hawaiian shirts. You can almost smell the suntan lotion.