They talk funny....I just turned it off.

Actually, this is false. Yes, English was different, but it was no where near as different as it is in Shakespeare's plays. People make this mistake all the time but people did not speak this way back during that time.

The thing with Shakespeare is if you just listen closely, you'll understand it. The words come at you in an interesting order, creating interesting rythums that sound much more pleasing to the ear. (For example: Shakespeare wrote in this play the line "you are an ass!" And the reason it's hysterical is because it's so simple after everything the other character just spouted off.)

So no, you don't have to speak "Shakespearean." That's kind of like saying "I don't speak rap."

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'modernised'

The setting? Yes.
Pasadena in the 2000's. Have you seen the publicity poster of the guy with a snorkel and a mask and a martini glass in a swimming pool? That tells you just how far afield from usual Shakespearean settings the production sometimes goes. In fact a good description of the production is "quirky".

The costumes? Yes.
Suits and ties and summer dresses, taken from the actors' own closets.

The characters? A bit.
Several minor characters are combined into one "aide" character. There are a couple gender swaps (which IMHO are completely natural). And Antonio (Leonato's brother) has been simplified away completely.

The interpretation? "Fresh"
How many other productions have you seen where Beatrice and Benedick have some "history"? This production pays lots of attention to the psychology of individual characters other than the lead couples - almost every action "makes sense" in a modern context.

The words? Not changed. Those are sacred.
-One distinctly non-PC word was substituted. A non-PC line that's usually cut was retained but interpreted differently so it works without being so insulting.
-The different setting requires an entire line to be cut here and there, or an entire scene in at least one case (the singing of "Sigh No More" in the garden by Balthazar is replaced by an iPod in a room in the house). And the challenge to a duel and subsequent forgiveness is so reduced that you don't think of dueling at all, even though the anger and the confrontation are still there.
-Other whole chunks have been deleted here and there for either simplicity or shortness. But you'd never know it unless you were following a text. I found similar omissions in the Branagh production (but in different locations of course).

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