Mona Limerick as Beatrice
Ian Maclaren as Benedick
H. B. Irving as Don John
Productions of Much Ado About Nothing
1891. Henry Irving's production of Much Ado About Nothing opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on January 5, 1891, and ran for 53 performances until March 3. Ellen Terry played Beatrice and Henry Irving played Benedick. The cast included William Terriss as Claudio, William MackIntosh as Dogberry, and Annie Irish as Hero (Wearing, I, 186).
1893. Henry Irving's Much Ado About Nothing opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on July 3 and ran for four performances; Irving played Benedick and Ellen Terry played Beatrice. Others in the cast were William Terriss as Claudio, William Haviland as Don John, Sam Johnson as Dogberry, and Jessie Millward as Hero (Wearing, I, 333).
1894. Henry Irving revived his Much Ado About Nothing at the Lyceum (London) for three performances on July 4. He played Benedick and Ellen Terry played Beatrice (Wearing, I, 415).
1895. Henry Irving's three performances of Much Ado About Nothing opened at the Lyceum Theatre (London) on July 4; Irving played Benedick and Ellen Terry played Beatrice. Ben Webster performed as Claudio, Julia Arthur as Hero, William Haviland as Don John, and Sam Johnson as Dogberry (Wearing, I, 496-7).
1898. George Alexander was the general manager of a production of Much Ado About Nothing that opened at the St. James's Theatre (London) and ran for 52 performances from February 16 until April 2. Alexander played Benedick opposite Julia Neilson's Beatrice. Also in the cast were H. B. Irving as Don John, Jay Davis as Hero, H. H. Vincent as Dogberry, and Robert Loraine as Claudio (Wearing, II, 719).
1901. April 15 marked the opening of Frank Benson's festival season at Stratford-upon-Avon. The company presented for the first time at Stratford a cycle of the history plays: King John, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI, Part 2, and Richard III. The company presented five other plays as well, including Much Ado About Nothing (Loney, I, 8).
1903. On May 23 Gordon Craig presents Much Ado About Nothing at the Imperial Theatre, London, with Ellen Terry as Beatrice (Loney, I, 16).
1904. On October 17 the New York City producer Charles Frohman presented E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe playing for the first time together in a Shakespeare play. The performances included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado About Nothing (Loney, I 23).
1906. Frank Benson opened the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, the dramatist's birthday. In this three-week Festival he opened with Much Ado About Nothing and for the first time offered all three parts of Henry VI. His company performed ten other plays as well (Loney, I, 33).
1907. On March 4 Ben Greet's company returned to New York City's Garden Theatre. The plays in repertory included Macbeth, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Merchant of Venice. Among Greet's players were Sybil Thorndyke, Julia Perkins, and Sidney Greenstreet (Loney, i, 37).