For the modern generation, the recipe for love is always a bit easier to swallow when mixed with generous helpings of cynicism.

Yet any Shakespeare fan can tell you that even as early as the 16th century, there were always those who were willing to turn up a raised eyebrow at the notion of romance.

At the Mauckingbird Theatre Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, check your hats and your hopelessness at the door and spend a few hours getting tangled up with love and lampoonery.

Even regular theater-goers will find fresh poignancy in the classic courtship between Hero and Claudio, the fighting-flirtation between Beatrice and Benedick, as the gay perspective breathes new life into the centuries-old play.

Shakespeare himself, the master of origami plotlines and emotional smoke-and-mirrors, couldn’t help but give a nod to the Mauckingbird’s seamless efforts at adding an extra layer of dynamism to an already-layered tale.

Tickets are available online.

Mauckingbird Theatre Company’s Much Ado About Nothing

When: Now-August 26

Where: Off-Broad Street Theater, First Baptist Church, 1636 Sansom Street

Cost: Tickets range from $15-$25

More info: www.mauckingbird.org