Love and Music in the Forest: AS YOU LIKE IT
ADMISSION: free
WHEN & WHERE:
- Tuesday, June 4th @ 7pm
Kenilworth Library, 548 Boulevard, Kenilworth, NJ - Wednesday June 5th @ 7pm
Westfield Memorial Library, 550 E Broad St, Westfield, NJ - Thursday June 6th @ 7pm
South River Library, 55 Appleby Ave, South River, NJ - Sunday June 9th @ 6pm
Community Park North Amphitheater, Elm Road and Route 206, Princeton, NJ
In case of rain, show will be at Princeton Library, 65 Witherspoon St, Princeton, NJ - Tuesday June 11th @ 7:30pm
Monument Park, Palisade Ave &, Angioletti Pl, Fort Lee, NJ - Wednesday June 12th @ 7pm
Secaucus Public Library, 1379 Paterson Plank Rd, Secaucus, NJ - Thursday June 13th @ 7pm
Leonard Gordon Park, Corner of Manhattan Avenue and JFK Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07307 - Tuesday June 18th @ 7:30pm
Monument Park, Palisade Ave &, Angioletti Pl, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 - Wednesday June 19th @ 7:30pm
Atlantic State Park, 102 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 - Thursday June 20th @ 7pm
Hamilton Park, 9th Street and Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, NJ - Friday June 21st @ 7pm
Weasel Brook Park, 1 Westervelt Pl, Clifton, NJ - Tuesday June 25th @ 7:30pm
Monument Park, Palisade Ave &, Angioletti Pl, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 - Wednesday June 26th @ 7:30pm
Atlantic Street Park, 102 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 - Thursday June 27th @ 7pm
Weasel Brook Park, 1 Westervelt Pl, Clifton, NJ
NOTE: Bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor shows as area seating is limited, beverages and meals allowed for outdoor shows. For library shows best to register for the event as seating is limited. (Top: Rosalind and Touchstone - Ashley Robyn Patten and Zach Hendrickson)
Hotheaded Orlando (Colin Colford) has been shut out of his inheritance by his really mean for no reason older brother (Joey Sponseller) and is forced to make a name for himself in Duke Frederick’s (Sean Devonshire) court. He decides to take an amateur night wrestling challenge with the Duke’s champion, Charles (Jake Simard), whom he completely trashes. In his display of physical prowess, he thoroughly impresses the Duke’s daughter Celia (Julianne Wentz) and her cousin, Rosalind (Ashley Robin Patten) the daughter of the now deposed duke, Duke Senior. (Above, right: Orlando and Rosalind - Colin Colford and Ashley Robyn Patten)
Rosalind is more than impressed with Orlando, she’s head-over-heels in love and relishes in getting more one-on-one time with him. However, before any further meeting can occur, the neurotic and looking for plots around every corner Frederick appears with his trusty guards and exiles Rosalind to the Forest of Arden. He banisher her to the place where he father and a few of his trusty advisors now live like Robin Hood and his merry men. Celia quickly defends her cousin and threatens to go with her cousin. Frederick doesn’t think she’s serious and dismisses the idea, but the two girls plan their escape. Rosalind comes up with the brilliant idea to disguise herself as a guy named Ganymede (like you do) and Celia will be her sister Aliena. The two suit up and drag their personal jester along for the ride, the very prissy and always ready with a quip, Touchstone (Zach Hendrickson). (Above, left: Rosalind and Touchstone - Ashley Robyn Patten and Zach Hendrickson)
Meanwhile Orlando learns from his trusty servant Adam (Sabrina Fara Tosti) that he’s a wanted man by the Duke and his brother Oliver and they run off for the forest themselves. In the Forest of Arden, Rosalind and crew encounter a crazy cast of characters including:
- Phoebe (Sabrina Fara Tosti) who falls in love with Rosalind dressed as a guy
- Audrey (Maddie Wright), the earthy goat herd Audrey who Touchstone lusts after
- The love sick puppy Silvius (Jake Simard)
- The man who never met a speech he didn’t love, Jaques (Joey Sponseller)
- The ever-ready musician Amiens (Maddie Wright)
- And, the happy in exile Duke Senior (Sean Devonshire)
As happy as Rosalind is in her new adventure she is even more giddy to learn that Orlando is in the forest but how can she get him interested and keep up her disguise while dodging a lusty Phoebe and the other crazy citizens of the forest?
Play
As You Like It was written in 1599 and marks a high point in Shakespeare’s midcareer with sophisticated comedies and before he embarked on his darker, tragic works.
“Being that its set in a forest with no new huge battles or court intrigues, the play lends itself really well to showings in parks and more intimate settings like libraries, said director, Jon Ciccarelli.
“We decided to go back to basics with the show and set it medieval world full of pageantry, full of impromptu songs, and love of the fairy tale world. The show is very musical so we’ve highlighted that with lots of live instruments and some recorded music. Its almost in danger of becoming a 1950s style musical,” he said.
