As the cast dances in the aisles of Keegan Theatre, it’s difficult not to catch the contagious, rose-colored energy from this musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery. I left bobbing to a handful of upbeat songs playing on repeat in my head. And with several somber, but just as catchy, numbers to balance out the joyful nature of the rest, As You Like It is the kind of treat that isn’t too sweet (thank goodness).
Lingual styles collide as the show’s characters sing in mostly Modern English and speak in the English of Shakespeare. Though the switches between the two are, at first, jarring, it doesn’t take too long to grow accustomed to them. As You Like It starts with the angsty and sarcastic Jaques (Caroline Dubberly) playing the keyboards—several of the actors double as part of the pit orchestra—and singing the beautifully Regina Spektor-esque number: “All the World’s a Stage.” Characters enter from all sides of the performance space and interact with each other as Jaques sings composer Shaina Taub’s version of the Seven Ages of Man speech:
“ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
AND EVERYBODY’S IN THE SHOW
NOBODY’S A PRO
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
AND EVERY DAY WE PLAY OUR PART
ACTING OUT OUR HEART
YEAR BY YEAR, WE GROW
LEARNING AS WE GO
TRYING TO TELL A STORY WE CAN FEEL
HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MAGIC REAL”
And most of the characters in As You Like It do grow, especially Rosalind (Debora Crabbe) the smart daughter of the banished Duke Senior (Jade Jones) and Orlando (Kevin Thorne II) the son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys. Rosalind is upset with the pleasant and cheerful mask she’s forced to put on in the court of her uncle, the fierce Duke Frederick (Patrick M. Doneghy), while Orlando is angered by the mistreatment he receives from his older brother Oliver (Omar D. Cruz). After Orlando releases his pent up frustration by winning a wrestling match (hilariously Lucha libre styled) the two youths meet and instantly fall in love.
Both end up running back into each other in the forest of Arden, this time with Rosalind disguised as a man named Ganymede. Ganymede tries to teach Orlando about the realistic aspects of love after she discovers he’s written overly sappy poems to her and placed them on the trees of the forest. Poems so gooey that the best way to relay them in this musical is with a boy-band number entitled “Will U Be My Bride.” Serious Justin Bieber vibes permeated from it.
And though the Ganymede costume serves as a great way for Rosalind to help Orlando mature, it is also, as she states in a reprise, “just another role.” Thus, Rosalind must find a way to feel comfortable enough with herself to take off the costume. This becomes more difficult when Phoebe (Bianca Lipford), a shepherdess who dismisses the love of another shepherdess named Silvia (Caroline Wolfson), falls in love with the Ganymede persona.
This musical that serves up positive messages of growth and acceptance, As You Like It is also a visual delight. With a stage setup that places audience members close to the action, it’s like sitting in the middle of a fairytale pop-up book adorned in vines, flowers, and fairy lights. I fell in love with the costumes of Duke Frederick’s court—which remind me of the clothing and hairstyles featured in the sci-fi film The Fifth Element—they’re a dazzling and futuristic spectacle thanks to the talents of costume designer Jeanette Christensen and hair/makeup designer Craig Miller.
So much happens in the forest of Arden: love triangles, battles with lions and snakes, hunts, marriages—there’s certainly a lot of ground to cover in 95 minutes, but the song to dialogue ratio of As You Like It doesn’t feel quite right. The show feels a bit bloated with 23 numbers including reprises (I wholeheartedly believe we could have done without an entire country song about deer hunting) and several jokes felt jammed in without reason. One specific sequence comes to mind in which a battle is awkwardly portrayed as an homage to the Street Fighter video games.
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But there are definitely more hits than misses when it comes to As You Like It’s comedy, especially due to the firecracker performance of Phillip Reid as the jester Touchstone. He’s boisterous on stage, stealing the show alongside Nigel Rowe, who plays his love interest Andy, when they sing “Will U Be My Groom.”
I wish all the actors’ singing abilities were closer to the same level. There were moments when Thorne didn’t hit his notes spot on and Crabbe, at times, sounded as though she lacked breath support. Certainly the two carried their songs and strongly portrayed Orlando and Rosalind respectively, but slightly lackluster singing is noticeable when productions include the powerful pipes of actor Jones or Dubberly whose vocals are both soothing and effortless.
Though there are a couple of strange choices in Keegan Theatre’s As You Like It, it’s easy to join the characters in their jubilation of being themselves and being in love.
As You Like It A musical adaptation of William Shakepeare’s As You Like It. Adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery. Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub. Directed by Cara Gabriel and Josh Sticklin. Featuring: Linda Bard, Oscar Ceville, Debrah Crabbe, Omar D. Cruz, Patrick M. Doneghy, Caroline Dubberly, Willie Garner, Jasmine Hall, Jennifer J. Hopkins, Jade Jones, Bianca Lipford, Phillip Reid, Kourtney Richards, Nigel Rowe, Izzy Smelkinson, Kevin Thorne II, Daniel Glen Westbrook, and Caroline Wolfson. Music director: Tiffany Underwood Holmes. Piano, conductor: Tiffany Underwood Holmes. Synthesizer: Caroline Dubberly. Guitar: Daniel Glenn Westbrook. Bass: Matt Carroll. Cello: Linda Bard. Percussion: John Guido, Kevin Thorne II. Choreographer: Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi. Set design: Matthew J. Keenan. Lighting design: Alberto Segarra. Sound design: Niusha Nawab. Costume design: Jeanette Christensen. Properties design: Cindy Landrum Jacobs. Hair/makeup design: Craig Miller. Fight choreographer: Kyle Encinas. Dramaturg: Clarke Whitehead. Stage manager: Aria Velz. Assistant director: Clancey Yovanovich. Presented by The Keegan Theatre. Reviewed by Emily Priborkin.
Want to hear the music? Shaina Taub website
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