Pages

Sunday, February 2, 2014

REVIEW: VISUALLY STUNNING “AS YOU LIKE IT” AT TWO RIVER THEATER COMPANY

vcm_s_kf_m160_120x160By Ruth Ross

Visually stunning, impressively musical, swirling with color and texture, and crisply acted. With production values like these, why does the Two River Theater Company's production of As You Like It fail to satisfy. This long, convoluted tale of two sets of warring brothers, good folk being exiled to a forest, a couple that struggles to find true love contains some of Shakespeare's most poetical and insightful writing and one of the best roles for a woman. So why didn't I love it?

AYLI 3It wasn't the complicated plot, although I did overhear several audience members complain that it was hard to follow and too long. The convoluted plot of As You Like It follows the lovely Rosalind who flees her uncle's persecution, accompanied by her cousin Celia and the court jester Touchstone, to the Forest of Arden. Similarly, a young gentleman of the kingdom, Orlando, escapes his evil brother Oliver's persecution, accompanied by Adam, his faithful elderly servant, to hide in the same forest. To complicate matters, before fleeing, Rosalind and Orlando fall in love at a wrestling match in the ducal court; things really get crazy when the two meet again at the camp where the usurped Duke (Rosalind's father) lives with a band of loyal lords. There, Rosalind, disguised as a male youth named Ganymede, instructs Orlando, now madly writing goofy love poems and posting them on trees, how to woo his lady—in this case, herself! Similar wooings among dimwitted shepherds (and Touchstone) are tempered by the melancholic musings of the dour courtier, Jaques. In the end, all gets sorted out, and multiple simultaneous weddings bring the mayhem to a happy close.

AYLI 1So what's not to like? The conceit of a woman disguised as a man is common to several of Shakespeare's plays, but the woman is usually a tiny bit visible under the male clothing. That makes clueless Orlando's wooing of Ganymede all the more delicious, for we are in on the joke. In this production, director Michael Sexton and costume designer Tilly Grimes have dressed the characters in fanciful, colorful, modern attire, except for Miriam A. Hyman (Above, left, with Jacob Fichel as Orlando as Sara Topham looks on), who plays Rosalind. When we first meet her at the ducal palace, she wears a sinuous, sexy evening gown, with her hair coiffed in an up-do with a long curl over one shoulder. In the forest, however, she wears jeans, work boots, a flannel shirt and a knitted watch cap pulled down over her ears, hiding any hint of a girlish figure or femininity. Too, her speech fits her appearance; even as she recites Shakespeare's lovely lines, I kept waiting for her to break into Rap. Sometimes, she sounded like a kid from the 'hood, instead of a well-brought-up, lovely lady trying to connect with her beloved. I have no problem with colorblind casting (Hyman is black, as are several other actors), but the roles should be played colorblind, as well.

AYLI 2The rest of the cast have no such problems. In fact, several of them double in roles both masculine and feminine. Ben Diskant is a malevolent, nasty Duke Oliver who tortures his younger brother Orlando by withholding from him any learning or activity that would bring him pleasure; he's also William, a country youth. Philip Goodwin plays two dukes: the cruel Duke Frederick and his kindly brother Duke Senior, whom he has banished to the Forest of Arden. Myra Lucretia Taylor (Right, as Phebe with Brendan Titley as Touchstone) plays a man and a woman: the loyal servant Adam and Audrey the goatherd for whom the fool Touchstone pines. And J.D. Webster wins the prize for the most roles played: He's Charles the wrestler; Amiens, a lord; Corin, a shepherd; and Hymen, the God of Marriage. He seamlessly morphs from one role to another by donning and shedding a cloak or a shirt. Leighton Bryan plays a male youth Le Beau (although she foregoes the usual foppish French accent and manners) and Phebe, a shepherdess with poise.

The actors who play only one part are equally as fine: Jacob Fischel, so wonderful in last year's Henry V, is marvelous as the almost too-good-to-be-true Orlando; he is especially funny when reciting the doggerel he has written to extol his Rosalind's beauty. Brendan Titley's Touchstone, the wise fool, is dressed in motley and sports a red clown's nose; he makes his jokes seem like grand philosophical statements. Geoffrey Owens as the dour melancholic Jaques is not shy about voicing his distaste for the rustic life and a nagging cynicism; his recitation of the famous and familiar "All the World's a Stage (Seven Ages of Man)" speech is masterful, and he is a great foil to the almost cloying idyllic forest life.

The aformentioned Miriam A. Hyman has the makings of a fine actress, although I believe that Director Sexton has done her portrayal of Rosalind no favors with his choices. Under that cap, it is hard to see the womanly ardor she should attempt to control in the company of Orlando. She's terrific in the opening scenes, regal and cool, however. As her confidante-cousin Celia, Sara Topham performs very well in a role that takes a back seat to Rosalind; she gets to look bored as her cuz extols Orlando's qualities ad nauseum, so that when she falls in love with a now-reformed Oliver, we are glad for her happiness.

AYLI 4Brett J. Banakis has created a fantastical Forest of Arden, filled with birch trees, lights and a fire pit, all of it atmospherically lit by Seth Reiser. Ben Toth has provided original music for the two songs by Shakespeare, and several new songs have been added, all of them beautifully sung by J. D. Webster.

As You Like It was written in 1599 and then disappeared from the Elizabethan stage. Only in the 17th century, when women began to act onstage, was the play re-discovered and enjoyed a renaissance. Yes, the plot is complicated, and yes, we have to suspend our disbelief, but the play contains some of Shakespeare's loveliest poetry and sharp insights into human nature. There is a great deal to like about this production. I just wish I hadn't felt "hungry" after the stage lights went down.

As You Like It will be performed at the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, through February 16. For information and tickets, call the box office at 732.345.1400 or visit online at www.tworivertheater.org.