The lights dim, and a messenger emerges from an unseen entrance, delivering news of the Prince of Arragon’s return from war to the Household of Leonato as he weaves through the audience. The eyes of people in the seats follow him to the stage, captivated. This is a common thread throughout the rest of the show; the viewers are not separate from the story, rather, nameless onlookers to our protagonists.

And so, UO Theatre’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing” begins. The rest of the ensemble gathers on stage, and we are introduced to Leonato (Harvey Parsons), his daughter, Hero (Loralee Van Londen) and his niece, Beatrice (Bleu Jones). They meet Prince Don Pedro (Dylan Podrabsky), his illegitimate brother, Don John (Mason Bruderer) and his companions, Balthasar (Aiden Lopez), Claudio (Gavin Blackwell) and Benedick (Trevor Tarantino). The cast is large, and the stage oftentimes feels crowded, but each plays a substantial role in propelling the layered story forward — or just providing a snappy one-liner.

The chemistry between the sharp-witted Beatrice and staunch bachelor Benedick is immediately recognizable, and it is quickly clear that their story will follow the enemies-to-lovers trope. As for Claudio, his initial affections for Beatrice subside when he meets Hero, and they engage shortly after.

Both Benedick and Beatrice’s companions believe that the two should be together, so they enact a plan to foster a romance by telling each that the other is desperately in love with them. It works fairly quickly. However, Don John’s opposing scheme to break up Hero and Claudio also succeeds, and Claudio accuses her of infidelity before their marriage.

Toward the end, Don John’s henchmen admit to their lie, and Hero and Claudio finally marry. Benedick and Beatrice are still in love, even after learning of their friends’ plan, and the cast shares a lively dance to end the show.

Don John seems to be the least menacing villain out of all Shakespearean stories; his motives simply boil down to his bastardness and satisfaction with the role of antagonist. Despite his flat rationale, Bruderer does a brilliant job of illuminating his wickedness, albeit in a silly cartoon villain sort of way.

Beatrice commands the stage each time she takes it. Jones portrays her with a stubborn, often aloof, attitude, which makes her deeply enjoyable to watch and laugh with. Her budding relationship with Benedick is sometimes awkward and always combative — a romance that keeps the audience on their toes.

Ava Bousquet, a sophomore, hadn’t seen a show produced by UO Theatre before, and she thoroughly enjoyed this one’s liveliness. “I think you have to (be energetic) if you’re doing Shakespeare. I mean, I definitely don’t know the language, but I felt the plot was communicated,” they said.

One standout moment arrived about a quarter into the show, when Benedick eavesdrops on the Prince, Leonardo and Claudio as they enact their plan. His sneaking through the audience had everyone turning their heads back and forth, excited to watch his dramatic reactions up close. His liveliness during his few following monologues acted as a conversation between himself and the audience, as if he were asking our advice one-on-one to resolve his confusing romantic endeavors.

“I really like how witty Shakespeare was, and I think the actors and actresses did very well with their acting, and the lighting was phenomenal,” Kristin Koch, a UO event coordinator, said. “Jordan (Hamlin, lighting designer) did a great job.”

The technical aspect of the production did an excellent job communicating the dim, soft environment of Messina, Italy. The costumes, managed by Heather Bair and designed by Jeanette De Jong, transformed the actors into English Renaissance-era aristocrats. The scenic design, done by Mary Jungels Goodyear, was nothing short of lovely, and the details built into the garden, house of Leonato and surrounding set pieces did not go unappreciated.

The live guitarists (Akash Dhruva and Beau Jungels), who played on opposite sides of the stage whenever a main character sang or during a group dance, were an endearing touch.

“I thought the comedy was really strong in this. I felt like they were able to really get the audience involved and have a lot of really good comedic time with everything,” Bousquet’s friend, Casey, said. “I thought it was a really, really fun show. Tell everybody to stay for the dance number at the end, that was really fun.”

Seeing this show on Valentine’s Day was the ideal cozy remedy to a particularly rainy evening, and the joy emitting from the newly reopened Robinson stage was enough to keep the entire audience warm.

The last three performances will take place in the Robinson Theatre on Feb. 27 and 28 and Mar. 1. See the UO Theatre website for more details and information on upcoming productions.