I tried, I did…but I didn’t care for, glean much or like much from this AS YOU LIKE IT.”
Much like this year’s production of ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and its portrayal of two worlds, Director Chris Abraham imaginatively seeks humour in the two distinctly different environments.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t buy into the humour.
Duke Frederick (Sean Arbuckle) seizes power from his sister, The Duchess (Seana McKenna), and forces her into the Forest of Arden. Her daughter, Rosalind (Sara Farb), soon accompanies her mother as she flees to the forest with her loyal cousin, Celia (Makambe K. Simamba).
Disguised as a boy Ganymede, Rosalind discovers a new life among the inhabitants of Arden. It is here that she meets Orlando (Christopher Allen), who flees his cruel brother, Oliver (Andrew Chown). As Ganymede, Rosalind falls in love with Orlando and puts his claim of love to the test.
As in most of Shakespeare’s comedies, there are mistaken identities, romances galore, songs and dances with marriage(s) usually occurring in the end. Throughout Shakespeare’s comedy, the world becomes a new place of discovery for all involved.
At the end of the play, Rosalind breaks the fourth wall to speak to the audience. She advises us to take what we can or like from the unfolding events in front.
The challenge I had with this ‘As You Like It?’
Often, I didn’t like or care for what I saw or heard.
There are some intriguing visual elements courtesy of Imogen Wilson’s apt lighting and Julie Fox’s Forest of Arden setting. I couldn’t decipher when the story takes place. At the top of the show, Fox’s set and costume designs resemble something out of the Matrix films, with their dark clothing and guns. I had trouble making connections between Acts 1 and 2.
I was also tuning out because there’s a great deal of shouting in Act One from ALL THE CHARACTERS. This yelling prevented me from truly wanting to listen to them. In turn, it also prevented me from trying to see if I could buy the realism of their emotions since ‘As You Like It’ deals with romance and love. Even the famous ‘All the world’s a stage’ didn’t pack a wallop as it should.
There are moments when several of the characters understand the fun of the piece, mainly when those moments occur in the Forest of Arden. Steve Ross’s Touchstone gets the humour of the piece and terrifically plays with the wit and innuendo in the dialogue with brave bravado. His moments with the bawdy Audrey (Silvae Mercedes) are riotous. Both look as if they are having a wonderful time on the stage. Adrienne Gould’s choreography of the forest dance near the conclusion of Act Two (reminiscent of a country hoe down) brought smiles to my face as it did with people sitting around me. Some of the songs are lovely to hear.
There’s terrific work from Stratford alumni Sean Arbuckle’s nasty Duke Frederick and the banishment of his sister Seana McKenna’s Duchess.
I didn’t like or care for the romantic relationships with the characters. I didn’t find any of them appealing at all.
Le sigh!
Running time: approximately two hours and 45 minutes with one interval.
‘As You Like It’ runs until October 24 at the Festival Theatre.
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare
Directed by Chris Abraham
Set and Costume Designer: Julie Fox
Lighting Designer: Imogen Wilson
Composers: Ron Sexsmith, Thomas Ryder Payne
Sound Designer: Thomas Ryder Payne
Choreographer: Adrienne Gould
Performers: Sara Farb, Makambe K. Simamba, Sean Arbuckle, Christopher Allen, Evan Mercer, Andrew Chown, John Ng, Norman Yeung, Steve Ross, Jeff Lillico, Joe Perry, Ashley Dingwell, Thomas Duplessie, Jesse Gervais, Leon Qin, Gabriel Antonacci, Shane Carty, Jacklyn Francis, Jessica B. Hillk Hiro Kanagawa, Michael Man, Silvae Mercedes, Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, Nadine Villasin, Seana McKenna, Aaron Krohn
