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As You Like It - McDowell Review

Although rough around the edges, Raleigh Little Theatre’s current presentation of As You Like It, another masterpiece of romantic comedy by English dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is nevertheless entertaining. Brisk and imaginative staging by guest director Carmen-maria Mandley and chipper comic characterizations by a number of local community-theater veterans make RLT’s first outdoor Shakespeare production sparkle.

As You Like It is another uproarious Shakespearean romp in the country by courtiers peremptorily banished from the dukedom of the temperamental tyrant Duke Frederick (Matt Schedler), who usurped his brother’s throne. Exiled to the Forest of Arden, where the rightful Duke Senior (Megan Day) holds court, Robin-Hood-style, victims of courtly intrigues, such as Orlando (Scott Nagel) and Rosalind (Heather J. Hackford), find respite and romance -- in a veritable pastoral paradise peopled by an amusing assortment of rustics, such as the lovelorn shepherd Sylvius (Jarrod Swart) and the disdainful object of his affections Phebe (Claire Wagner).

Scott Nagel is sweet as poor lovesick Orlando, cheated out of his rightful inheritance by his avaricious older brother Oliver (Brendan Putz) and forced to flee the court because Duke Frederick has taken a strong dislike to him. Having fallen in love with Rosalind literally at first sight, Orlando loves her so much that he writes poem after poem extolling her virtues. In exile, he papers the very trees of the Forest of Arden with these love poems.

Meanwhile, Duke Frederick belatedly banishes Rosalind, who is the daughter of Duke Senior and the best friend to his own daughter Celia (Sarah Bousquet-Howard). Celia follows Rosalind into the woods, where for safety’s sake Rosalind disguises herself as a man. When reunited with Orlando, Rosalind in manly disguise offers to cure him of his infatuation -- if he will come to her daily for instruction.

Heather Hackford is a delight as Rosalind, especially when she toys with Orlando while barely suppressing her own feelings; and Sarah Bousquet-Howard is cute as Celia. Jarrod Swart and Claire Wagner are entertaining as the mismatched Sylvius and Phebe; David Klionsky provides comic relief as Touchstone the court jester; and Katie Anderson is a pip as the goatherd Audrey, the snaggle-toothed object of Touchstone’s affections.

Megan Day sings superbly and doubles delightfully as the refined Duke Senior and the rough Charles the Wrestler, Alex Davis is funny as the vulgar (self-flagellating) vicar Sir Oliver Martext, and Harvey Sage is charming as Corin. But Tim Cherry’s painful sighs and amusing antics as the melancholy Jaques steal the show.

Director Carmen-maria Mandley stages As You Like It with brio, and gets a sizable assist from fight choreographer Jeff A.R. Jones. Costume designer Sue Brace outfits the cast in an impressive array of ersatz English Renaissance fashions; and scenic designer Rick Young discovers a nifty system for differentiating the play’s many locations at court and in the forest by use of banners and spinners and green cutouts in the shape of trees -- all on poles that can be rotated, added, or removed during scene changes.

Lighting and sound designer Roger Bridges skillfully illuminates the action all across the sprawling set, and RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons composed a number of sprightly melodies for the songs of As You Like It -- tunes that add a nice grace note to this production.

Raleigh Little Theatre presents As You Like It Thursday-Saturday, May 19-21, at 8 p.m. in RLT’s Louise “Scottie” Stephenson Amphitheatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $15 ($12 students and seniors). 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: Shuttle parking will be available. Note 2: The RLT parking-lot gates and concessions will open at 7 p.m. Soft drinks, beer and wine, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque, popcorn, and snacks will be sold at the parking-lot concession stands. Note 3: All performances are wheelchair accessible, and there will be an audio described performance May 19th. Note 4: No pets will be allowed in the amphitheatre. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/asyoulikeit.htm. Shakespeare Resources (courtesy University of Virginia): http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/shakespeare/. E-Text (courtesy UVa): http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/ShaAYLF.html (1623 First Folio Edition) and http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobAsYo.html (1866 Globe Edition).

WHAT: Robert's Reviews is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall, Todd Morman, and Scott Ross. (For brief bios of our contributors, see http://www.cvnc.org/about/critics-bios.html.) John Lambert and Classical Voice of North Carolina reprint our previews, reviews, theater calendar, and theater and film links online at http://www.cvnc.org/. Robert’s Reviews previews and reviews are now listed under “Performance Reviews” on the CVNC home page. (Just click on the show title for the preview, which will be followed on the web page by the review.) For a comprehensive list of Triangle “Theatre Openings,” see http://www.cvnc.org/calendar/openings.html. For our extensive list of “Theater and Film Links,” go to http://www.cvnc.org/links/theatre.html. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail RobertM748@aol.com.

DONATIONS: If you value the comprehensive, in-depth Triangle theater coverage that Robert’s Reviews provides, please use your credit card to donate online via PayPal: http://www.cvnc.org/support/index.html; or mail a generous check today to Classical Voice of North Carolina, 3305 Ruffin Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-4025. Because CVNC is a 501(c)(3) organization, all financial contributions are tax-deductible. Be sure to indicate that you want to support continued online publication of Robert’s Reviews.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE ROBERT’S REVIEWS in the Subject: line. To have your name removed from our mailing list, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE ROBERT’S REVIEWS in the Subject: line.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content and all formats © 2004 CVNC and the respective authors. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Classical Voice of North Carolina and the respective authors is prohibited. CVNC will maintain an archive of standard previews and reviews from past issues for at least a year, at http://cvnc.org/reviews/archives.html. To request copies of web articles from 2003 and earlier, e-mail cvnc1@earthlink.net.


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As You Like It - McDowell Review

Although rough around the edges, Raleigh Little Theatre’s current presentation of As You Like It, another masterpiece of romantic comedy by English dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is nevertheless entertaining. Brisk and imaginative staging by guest director Carmen-maria Mandley and chipper comic characterizations by a number of local community-theater veterans make RLT’s first outdoor Shakespeare production sparkle.

As You Like It is another uproarious Shakespearean romp in the country by courtiers peremptorily banished from the dukedom of the temperamental tyrant Duke Frederick (Matt Schedler), who usurped his brother’s throne. Exiled to the Forest of Arden, where the rightful Duke Senior (Megan Day) holds court, Robin-Hood-style, victims of courtly intrigues, such as Orlando (Scott Nagel) and Rosalind (Heather J. Hackford), find respite and romance -- in a veritable pastoral paradise peopled by an amusing assortment of rustics, such as the lovelorn shepherd Sylvius (Jarrod Swart) and the disdainful object of his affections Phebe (Claire Wagner).

Scott Nagel is sweet as poor lovesick Orlando, cheated out of his rightful inheritance by his avaricious older brother Oliver (Brendan Putz) and forced to flee the court because Duke Frederick has taken a strong dislike to him. Having fallen in love with Rosalind literally at first sight, Orlando loves her so much that he writes poem after poem extolling her virtues. In exile, he papers the very trees of the Forest of Arden with these love poems.

Meanwhile, Duke Frederick belatedly banishes Rosalind, who is the daughter of Duke Senior and the best friend to his own daughter Celia (Sarah Bousquet-Howard). Celia follows Rosalind into the woods, where for safety’s sake Rosalind disguises herself as a man. When reunited with Orlando, Rosalind in manly disguise offers to cure him of his infatuation -- if he will come to her daily for instruction.

Heather Hackford is a delight as Rosalind, especially when she toys with Orlando while barely suppressing her own feelings; and Sarah Bousquet-Howard is cute as Celia. Jarrod Swart and Claire Wagner are entertaining as the mismatched Sylvius and Phebe; David Klionsky provides comic relief as Touchstone the court jester; and Katie Anderson is a pip as the goatherd Audrey, the snaggle-toothed object of Touchstone’s affections.

Megan Day sings superbly and doubles delightfully as the refined Duke Senior and the rough Charles the Wrestler, Alex Davis is funny as the vulgar (self-flagellating) vicar Sir Oliver Martext, and Harvey Sage is charming as Corin. But Tim Cherry’s painful sighs and amusing antics as the melancholy Jaques steal the show.

Director Carmen-maria Mandley stages As You Like It with brio, and gets a sizable assist from fight choreographer Jeff A.R. Jones. Costume designer Sue Brace outfits the cast in an impressive array of ersatz English Renaissance fashions; and scenic designer Rick Young discovers a nifty system for differentiating the play’s many locations at court and in the forest by use of banners and spinners and green cutouts in the shape of trees -- all on poles that can be rotated, added, or removed during scene changes.

Lighting and sound designer Roger Bridges skillfully illuminates the action all across the sprawling set, and RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons composed a number of sprightly melodies for the songs of As You Like It -- tunes that add a nice grace note to this production.

Raleigh Little Theatre presents As You Like It Thursday-Saturday, May 19-21, at 8 p.m. in RLT’s Louise “Scottie” Stephenson Amphitheatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $15 ($12 students and seniors). 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: Shuttle parking will be available. Note 2: The RLT parking-lot gates and concessions will open at 7 p.m. Soft drinks, beer and wine, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque, popcorn, and snacks will be sold at the parking-lot concession stands. Note 3: All performances are wheelchair accessible, and there will be an audio described performance May 19th. Note 4: No pets will be allowed in the amphitheatre. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/asyoulikeit.htm. Shakespeare Resources (courtesy University of Virginia): http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/shakespeare/. E-Text (courtesy UVa): http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/ShaAYLF.html (1623 First Folio Edition) and http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobAsYo.html (1866 Globe Edition).

WHAT: Robert's Reviews is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall, Todd Morman, and Scott Ross. (For brief bios of our contributors, see http://www.cvnc.org/about/critics-bios.html.) John Lambert and Classical Voice of North Carolina reprint our previews, reviews, theater calendar, and theater and film links online at http://www.cvnc.org/. Robert’s Reviews previews and reviews are now listed under “Performance Reviews” on the CVNC home page. (Just click on the show title for the preview, which will be followed on the web page by the review.) For a comprehensive list of Triangle “Theatre Openings,” see http://www.cvnc.org/calendar/openings.html. For our extensive list of “Theater and Film Links,” go to http://www.cvnc.org/links/theatre.html. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail RobertM748@aol.com.

DONATIONS: If you value the comprehensive, in-depth Triangle theater coverage that Robert’s Reviews provides, please use your credit card to donate online via PayPal: http://www.cvnc.org/support/index.html; or mail a generous check today to Classical Voice of North Carolina, 3305 Ruffin Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-4025. Because CVNC is a 501(c)(3) organization, all financial contributions are tax-deductible. Be sure to indicate that you want to support continued online publication of Robert’s Reviews.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE ROBERT’S REVIEWS in the Subject: line. To have your name removed from our mailing list, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE ROBERT’S REVIEWS in the Subject: line.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content and all formats © 2004 CVNC and the respective authors. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Classical Voice of North Carolina and the respective authors is prohibited. CVNC will maintain an archive of standard previews and reviews from past issues for at least a year, at http://cvnc.org/reviews/archives.html. To request copies of web articles from 2003 and earlier, e-mail cvnc1@earthlink.net.

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