"We must exterminate these men," says constable
Dogberry (the fantastic Nick Haverson), meaning interrogate.
It's true the dastardly Don John (Chris Starkie, who also - in a sly bit of casting, doubles as the malapropdogged
Dogberry) could up the malevolence, and his sidekicks could perhaps be more scheming.
"You have the
Dogberry character in .1inch Ado, and then in the next scene with Benedic.k and Beatrice, she says, 'Kill Claudio," Gay elaborates, adding that Jones writes in a similar mix of comedy and drama..
Consequently, Claudio rejects Hero at the altar, humiliating her in the process, and after a faked death proposed by the friar (Paul Meston) she is shown to be innocent when the bumbling night watch crew led by
Dogberry (Nathan Fillion) manage to somehow uncover the plot.
Mention must be made of Nathan Fillion as the fumbling policeman,
Dogberry. His commitment to the ridiculous will have you laughing out loud.
I did notice Verges' [Lenk] hand lingering on
Dogberry's [Fillion] shoulder ...
Nathan Fillion (
Dogberry) and Tom Lenk (Verges) provide extra fun, with Sean Maher as Don John.
Alan Beck is
Dogberry, the officious constable who provides the story's comic foil, with Earl Ruttencutter as his sidekick.
More fun comes in the form of Nathan Fillion who is hilarious as "law enforcer"
Dogberry with his on-screen partner Tom Lenk (a co-star from Buffy).
This is especially apparent in the banter between bumbling cop
Dogberry (Nathan Fillion) and his partner, Verges (Tom Lenk), which results in some of the piece's few strained moments.
"You'll have to stay outside, Sir
Dogberry," she said to their Great Dane as she shut the door.
Amid the familiar company players, who include Matthew Bulgo (Don Pedro), Lynne Seymour (Beatrice), Nicola Reynolds (Margaret/Mistress
Dogberry) and Liam Tobin (Benidick), we also have artists who are new to Mappa Mundi, among them Robin Waters (Claudio), Gareth Pierce (Borachio), John Cording (Leonato) and Gwawr Loader (Hero/Mistress Verges).
