HERE GOES NOTHING

Much Ado About Nothing gets a boldly queer contemporary twist.

Beatrice’s best friend has always been her little sister, Harriet, who goes by Hero. Ever since their mom died and their dad checked out, Bea has looked out for Hero the best she can. Bea’s biggest enemy is Bennie, a neighbor in their Indianapolis suburb; the girls have exchanged sharp barbs since they were in the fifth grade. When Bennie abruptly returns home from boarding school and Hero starts dating Claude, one of Bennie’s best friends, the nemeses’ worlds collide. But a crisis leads Bea to wonder what’s really been behind their conflict all along. Ohland has created a diverse cast (Bea, Hero, and Bennie present white, Bennie is pansexual, Claude is Black and bisexual) that embraces not only inclusivity but also the fluidity of sexuality and the necessity of self-exploration. As Bea works through her complicated feelings about Bennie, she confronts her own identity, questioning whether any label feels right. In the process, she leans on Pedro, a Latine friend of Bennie’s, who’s investigating identity questions of their own. Bea and Hero’s bond as they face their mother’s absence at pivotal points in their lives is a high point, but ultimately neither the characters nor their motivations ever quite come alive, and Bea and Bennie’s eventual romance feels flat and one-dimensional.

Though it takes admirably big swings, this reimagining doesn’t live up to its potential.