Combining the best parts of “Much Ado About Nothing” and “As You Like It,” Monica Cross’ skillful Shakespeare adaptation “HERO DOGBERRY” is a marvelous feat of playwriting craft. The heightened language is never alienating and the verse is so seamlessly written you can focus on each vividly drawn character and tightly plotted scene Cross offers. A feast for Bard lovers and newbies alike!

“Hero Dogberry” is a goddamned delight. It is also a genuine masterpiece. Not only is it a genius companion piece to its source material, but it truly stands on its own as a tremendous tale of mischief, trust, deceit, masking, and how they all intertwine in the development of love and marriage. Amid the countless winks to classic Bard bits and sequences, Cross shines spotlights on what hasn’t aged as well, and examines it playfully and with great nuance. Every role here would be so much fun to bring to life, for actors and designers alike. Highly recommend.

What a delight! If you are a Much Ado fan, this play gives you the scenes you've always wanted, the backstory you've always wondered about, answers to the questions you've had, and most importantly, more time with your favorite characters. This would be wonderful to play in rep with a production of Much Ado.