“A comic triumph […] highly recommended”
This is part of a series of shorter reviews from Edinburgh Fringe, August 2026.
A re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” from the point of view of the clownish constables of the watch, “Dogberry and Verges are Scared” cleverly mixes Shakespeare’s original words with newly penned scenes in a show that is sure to delight both long-term fans of the bard and complete newbies. Presented by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Slippery Trout Productions, the show, whose title is very much a reference to Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, begins with Dogberry and Verges receiving instructions to guard the door of Signior Leonato, who is entertaining the Prince Don Pedro and his entourage. From there, we are treated to all of the scenes from the original play that feature the comedy double-act, each one interspersed with new scenes that develop the characters further and add extra context.
As Dogberry, Scott Greer is manic and calamitous, constantly mixing up his words and devolving into the most extreme slapstick comedy, whilst Austin Tichenor’s Verges is calmer yet more gullible, the sidekick forever trying to impress his boss. Both characters are so earnest in their quest to provide protection for Leonato and make sure everything runs smoothly that they are immediately endearing – we can see how much the characters want to succeed, even though they invariably continually fail throughout.
The rest of the cast, including Sami Ma, Courtney Lucien, Jeremy Dubin and Elizabeth Chinn Molloy, bring to life other characters from Shakespeare’s play, including Claudio (Verges can barely contain his anger at him), Hero (Verges is obsessed with her hair) and Don John (Verges likes to refer to him by his full name – Donald). Yet it is the seemingly minor characters who will leave the lasting impression, Ma portraying a formidable Messenger who constantly berates Dogberry and Verges for their mistakes, and Lucien putting the ‘sex’ into ‘Sexton’ with a particularly raunchy performance.
It is all incredibly well scripted by Michael Doherty and Will Mobley, featuring impressive wordplay that takes Shakespeare’s ideas and elevates them, whilst rarely having to resort to more childish comedy. For the Shakespeare fans in the audience, there are some pointed references to other plays and some knowing nods to Shakespeare’s use of language, but for the uninitiated, this is the perfect introduction. The play does an excellent job of getting everyone up to speed on the plot in a way that isn’t confusing, and when the show slips into its original Shakespearean text, it is barely noticeable – this is a great way to introduce people to Shakespeare that doesn’t feel overwhelming at all. A comic triumph and one that is highly recommended.
Tom Morley, August 2026
“Dogberry and Verges are Scared” plays at 3:35pm at the main house, C ARTS, C aurora until 30th August.
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