As You Like It: A Play Review

Rosalind (Hannah Sobel) and Celia (Clio Doyle) of As You Like It. Photo: Gen Bristol.

Let’s be realistic here: Mr. William Shakespeare was a very complex playwright. Countless researchers, literary analysts, and English teachers have found themes, motifs, and metaphors galore within his texts. Almost every Shakespeare play is considered a theatrical masterpiece with its own identity and themes, whether it be the theme of dreamy nature versus true reality (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) or the idea of religion-inspired mercy (The Merchant of Venice). Whenever a director decides to take on Shakespeare, they are not putting on any ordinary play: not only are Shakespeare’s pieces timeless, but they also offer endless opportunities for the director and actors to interpret them in countless ways. These could involve anything from how they dress, to how they pronounce a certain word, to why they move stage left instead of stage right.  Shakespeare is no easy task, and it takes a thoughtful and creative director as well as talented actors to put on a show properly.

 

When I first heard that the Hanover High School Footlighters were putting on Shakespeare’s As You Like It, I was not particularly surprised: Shakespeare plays are always popular choices in high school theater. Instead, I was curious as to the direction in which the Footlighters would take the play: Would they stay very traditionally true to the text, or would they add in some interesting interpretations or factors that are hidden within Shakespeare’s words? It was a complete mystery to me, as I shamefully admit that by then, I had yet to see any of the HHS theatrical productions.

A Shepard (Seamus Good) and Silvio (Cas Stone). Photo: Gen Bristol

I must admit, I did not view the show like any ordinary audience member. Instead, I found myself at the technical rehearsals and at all three shows, working behind a giant soundboard. That’s right: not only was it the first time I had seen an HHS play, I was also in the production as a “techie,” playing the sound cues. In theory, this may make my review biased, but I believe it gave me a bigger platform to admire and critique the play, for I had watched it grow from rehearsals with minimal costumes and set to the final production. Through my position at the soundboard, I found an in-depth way to truly understand director David Shaw’s perspective on As You Like It, as well as to appreciate how the actors developed their characters.

They play stayed very traditional to the text. Costumes, props, and the set all gave the appearance of an older time setting (around pre-revolutionary Russia). The set itself was very minimal but covered many of the major basics; a gate, a tree, plants, benches, and fake rocks for actors to sit and stand on. Props were also pretty scarce and were mostly used to enhance the actions of the actors. But don’t let the basic set fool you, for this play proved to go beyond props and visuals.

Characters converse as Touchstone (Mike Lion) sits in the back. Photo: Gen Bristol.

I was absolutely stunned by the talent, vigor, and energy of the actors in the production. Not only did they make the play entertaining, but they made it humorous and funny (just as Shakespeare had intended it to be). I couldn’t help but laugh whenever Touchstone (Mike Lion) entered the stage, and I was absolutely delighted by the banters between Rosalind (Hannah Sobel), Celia (Clio Doyle), and Orlando (Jean-Luc Beaubien). And of course, when the infamous and melancholy Jaques (Thom Mellert) entered into a scene, the audience was always kept on its toes. I believed that each actor and actress owned his or her character, not only because the lines were well memorized and well delivered, but because each one of the characters had a distinct identity. I was also impressed by the staging of the interactions between the characters; the entire space was used, and even if an actor was not talking, he or she did not just stand dumbfounded, but made gestures and added quirks that enhanced the play without distracting the audience from the speakers. I also applaud all the techies (not just myself, of course) for changing scenes and adjusting lights smoothly and efficiently, and I acknowledge the efforts of stage manager Emma Behrens and producer Bill Hammond for keeping everything well organized and in line (mistakes and blips were minimal, and not a single actor missed a cue).

Orlando (Jean-Luc Beaubien) and Adam (Kendra Comstock). Photo: Gen Bristol.

Although the play was entertaining, I was hoping for a more creative interpretation of the text. It’s okay to follow the play line by line and stay traditional, but I personally believe it’s a little too safe; I like it when actors and directors take more risks, in spite of whether those risks succeed or fail in the end. As You Like It did not seem to have many outside interpretations or many risks at all, but instead stayed pretty tied to the literal meanings of the lines (the only real difference was the Russian influence in the play, but at times it was hard to catch on to that theme). This is not always a bad thing, but next time I see a Shakespeare production at HHS, I would love to see some looseness and flirtation with the text; I think it would make a play that much more interesting (especially to teenagers, who may find it hard to stay interested in the dense lines of Shakespeare).

Fight Scene. Photo: Gen Bristol.

Overall, I believe As You Like It was a very entertaining play. It may not have been as in-depth and risky as I would have liked, but it did its job—entertaining the audience—and it did it very well. What was the key to the play’s success? I do not hesitate at all to say that it was the energy of the actors, upon which the audience fed and was motivated to keep their seats. And this should come as no surprise, for as Mr. Jaques states, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players.” Congratulations, HHS Footlighters, for putting on a delightfully entertaining show.