Reviewed by Julie-Anne Whitney
As You Like It by William Shakespeare, adapted & directed by M. Graham Smith; sound design and choreography by Justin Genna; set design by Jonathan Bishop, lighting design by Isaac Aiello, costume design by Chelsea Kerl, fight direction by Angie Jepson; stage managed by Tara Hightower. Produced by Lanes Coven Theater Company at Windhover Performing Arts Center in Rockport, MA through August 2, 2016.
William Shakespeare wrote As You Like It at the end of the 16th Century. One of his most performed works, it is known as a “pastoral play,” in which nature and rural life are idealized and contrasted with the perceived corruption of urban life.
Lanes Coven’s contemporary production of As You Like It has been adapted to suit a modern audience. In just 90 minutes, you are taken on a witty, comedic adventure that eerily mirrors our 21st Century plight: a greedy usurper steals his brother’s throne and banishes or kills anyone who stands in his way. His cruel authoritarian takeover pushes people to escape to the countryside where they find love, kindness, safety, and community.
At the heart of the story are two cousins, Rosalind (Erin O’Sullivan) and Celia (a delightful Naomi Mcleod), who seek to escape the hostile court of Celia’s tyrannical father, Duke Frederick (a fabulous Debra Wise), who threatens Rosalind’s life for simply being the daughter of his banished brother, Duke Senior (also Debra Wise). On their way to the Forest of Arden, Rosalind and Celia meet Orlando (an endearingly earnest David Keohane), and Rosalind and Orlando fall instantly in love. To better protect themselves in the forest, Rosalind disguises herself as a boy named Ganymede and Ceila pretends to be Ganymede’s sister, a peasant woman named Aliena. Together with the court jester, Touchstone (a hilarious Breezy Leigh), the threesome finds several love poems pinned to the trees which were written by Orlando who is searching for Rosalind. Disguised as Ganymede, Rosalind meets Orlando in the forest and challenges the poet to woo “him” in order to cure Orlando of his love-sickness. Add in another set of sparring lovers, Phoebe (Lily Narbonne) and Silvius (Alex Strzemilowski), Orlando’s repentant brother, Oliver (Eliza Fichter), a man-eating lion, a triple wedding, and a group dance scene and you’ve got yourself a hilarious, jaunty romp of a play that will have you wishing you lived in the forest, too.
You could feel the joy from the 10-person cast who seemed to revel in the silliness of the story (special shout out to actor Thomas Vice for crawling on stage in a “sheep” costume on an 85-degree day). Actors David Keohane (Orlando), Naomi McLeod (Ceila), and Eliza Fichter (Oliver/Corin) seemed to have the best understanding and an easy command of Shakespeare’s text. Debra Wise was fantastic in the very different roles of the warring Dukes. Eryn O’Sullivan was more interesting and watchable as Ganymede than as Rosalind (but maybe that’s more about how Shakespeare wrote it than how O’Sullivan performed it). And as Touchstone, Breezy Leigh’s clowning was a highlight.
Chelsea Kerl’s costume design was one of the best parts of the show. The layered patterns and textures of Le Beau (Lily Narbonne) and Jacque’s (Michael Lopez Saenz) costumes were particularly inspired. Kerl’s design was intentional, matching each character with fabrics, colors, and patterns that fit their modern sensibilities. Justin Genna’s choreography at the end of the play was playful, energetic, and made the audience feel like part of the celebration. Director M. Graham Smith’s cut of the script gives you everything you need to follow the story and highlights his particular vision for the show.
Lanes Coven’s production is full of fun, laughter, and heart. There’s also a deep feeling of sincerity in their choice to emphasize the characters escaping a tyrannical leader and finding comfort in the woods (just like the audience that came to see the show). It is fitting that As You Like It takes place mostly in the Forest of Arden and that Lanes Coven performs the play in an outdoor venue surrounded by trees, rocks, and birdsong. In the Elizabethan age, forests were mysterious and often dangerous places, but they were also places of liberation and imagination, full of wonder and magic, free from hierarchy and politics. As Director M. Graham Smith writes, in the forest the characters “begin to imagine a different life…The forest allows them to [work through] their problems and play together instead of in opposition. What seemed like a flight of escape becomes the genesis of a new society.”
The characters in As You Like It escape the city to find joy and freedom (i.e. forgiveness and friendship, unfixed gender roles and unchained love) in the natural world. From fear and exile, they find liberation and connection. Perhaps this is a reminder that we, too, can find joy amongst the trees– even if only for an afternoon in a shining sea-side town in Massachusetts.
