January 05, 2026

Much Ado About Nothing - Episode 5 - If I Were A Man

27 minutes

***This show is brought to you by Quince. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://quince.com/playonpod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.***

Claudio shames Hero at the altar as Don Pedro and Don John back him up. Hero collapses and the guests are cleared out of the chapel. Leonato rages at his daughter until the Deacon intervenes, vouching for Hero’s honor. She makes a plan to keep Hero in hiding and spread word that she is dead in order to stir guilt and remorse in the conspirators that framed her. Leonato agrees and departs with the Deacon and Hero, leaving Benedick and Beatrice alone in the sanctuary. As Beatrice mourns her cousin’s misfortune, Benedick swears his love to her and she swears hers to him. But when she asks Benedick to prove his love by killing Claudio, he refuses. Beatrice, enraged, accuses him of being false. Benedick finally agrees to do as she says.

The PLAY ON PODCAST SERIES, “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING”, was written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and translated into modern English verse by RANJIT BOLT. All episodes were directed by BRENDON FOX. Radio play by CATHERINE EATON.

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA AGREEMENT.

The cast is as follows:

TRACIE LANE as BEATRICE

REG ROGERS as BENEDICK

TÉA GUARINO as HERO

ZION JANG as CLAUDIO

CARMAN MATTHEW LACIVITA as DON PEDRO

ALEJANDRA ESCALANTE as MARGARET and CONRADE

DEMOSTHENES CHRYSAN as LEONATO

DEE NELSON as ANTONIA

BRIAN OWEN as DOGBERRY

STEPHEN MICHAEL SPENCER as BORACHIO

EVAN ZES as NAVAL CADET, OATCAKE and SEACOAL

LUIS MORENO as DON JOHN and THE SEXTON

MARY BACON as DEACON FRANCIS and VERGES

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA.

Voice and Text Coach: JULIE FOH

Original music composition, Mix and Sound Design by LINDSAY JONES. Vocal arrangement and music direction by STEPHEN MICHAEL SPENCER. Sound engineering and mixing by SADAHARU YAGI. Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH. Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio. Coordinating Producer: TRANSCEND STREAMING (KYRA BOWIE and LEANNA KEYES).

The Play On Podcast Series “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING” is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit ⁠⁠NEXTCHAPTERPODCASTS.COM⁠⁠ for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit ⁠⁠PLAYONSHAKESPEARE.ORG⁠⁠ for more about Play On Shakespeare.

Subscribe to Play On Premium for ad-free episodes and join our Patreon for exclusive merchandise and early commercial-free releases. Go to nextchapterpodcasts.com for our Bonus Content, where you’ll find interviews with the artists, producers and engineers who brought it all to life. And remember: “The world must be peopled!”

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