Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within

Broadway World - Highly Recommended

"...Well, where the classics are concerned, L.A. doesn't have any institution stronger than A Noise Within and if Cienfuegos (making his company debut), his wonderful actors and designers are working hard, they sure make it looks easy. From the first glimpse of that rampaged stage to the final dance, this MUCH ADO is an end-to-end delight."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Everyone will make much ado about Guillermo Cienfuego‘s delightful take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing which opened last weekend at A Noise Within. This comedy has it all: sparring partners, deceit, mistaken identities, many overheard conversations, love, and my favorite comedic character in all of Shakespeare: Dogberry, a pompous, scattered constable who watches over the bumbling night guards in the city of Messina on the island of Sicily."

LA Splash - Highly Recommended

"...Shakespeare is back at A Noise Within with MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, the Bard's frothiest romantic comedy. Under the superb direction of Guillermo Cienfuegos, the play is one of the funniest ever, making Shakespeare's sometimes turgid and/or difficult to understand play readily available to today's theatergoer."

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...A newly liberated Sicily provides a fresh new WWII-era time and place for American GI Benedick and Italian ragazza Beatrice to fall in love at not-quite-first sight in A Noise Within’s sparkling 2023 revival of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing."

Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended

"...I must start this review by confessing that this production of Much Ado About Nothing is a victim of my own expectations. Much Ado is my favorite Shakespearean text, and I've always respected the craft A Noise Within puts into their productions of the classics. I expected to love this show - but sadly, I was disappointed."

Glamgical - Highly Recommended

"...A director worth his salt pays careful attention to all of the moving parts of a play. Cienfuegos does it like no other. He curated the elements of Shakespeare’s dramatic structure in a playful and entertaining way scene after scene. Claudio’s rejection of Hero, the transition from dislike to love between Benedick and Beatrice, and the resolution are all cleverly displayed with powerful acting and creative staging to generate an impressive production in only five weeks."