Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
Long Beach Playhouse
Through September 30
What director Michael Hernandez-Phillips and his cast have done so very well in the Long Beach Playhouse production of William Shakespeare’s As you Like It is to infuse the comedy with fun physicality and stage movement. At the same time, there are puzzling directing and staging choices that somewhat undermine the pleasure.
As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind (Courtney Johnson) as she flees persecution in her uncle’s court, accompanied by her cousin Celia (Skylar Alexis) to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. Within the forest, they encounter a stable of characters (far too many; more on that later) who have their own stories — some engaging, some not so much.
Though Shakespeare writes many story-lines and examines many themes in the play (including gender issues), ultimately it’s a love story between Rosalind and Orlando (Ben Trotter), both of whom have fled to Arden because they have been banished by more powerful relatives.
As You Like It is at its best when Rosalind, passing as the man “Ganymede,” posits her/his many insightful observations about the male-female differences when it comes to love. Though crazy about Orlando, she does not completely trust that he will love her so deeply once he has won her affections. And she continually chides the silly, rustic Phoebe (played to the hilt by Jessica Plotin) for scorning the infatuation of Silvius (Marco Estrada), a goofy but loving shepherd, and instead pursues the supposedly male “Ganymede.”
There are many other characters, some with their own budding love stories, but none of them is particularly compelling. For 21st century audiences, Shakespeare is more successful when he has a single protagonist with a clear goal (think Macbeth, among others), instead of an array of adjunct personalities who don’t do much to drive the narrative.
And then, there are the bewildering directorial choices made in the production. Hernandez-Phillips sets the play in the 1950s in New York. For example, he has some characters playing beatniks — and in one scene they ride a New York subway when they are supposedly in the Forest of Arden, a place of refuge from an urban center.
What the director hasn’t done is change some dialogue to make some connection, however tenuous, to the 1950s. Yes, many Shakespeare productions and film adaptations are placed in different time periods, but they are generally most successful when they make adjustments for those changes. One example: Michael Almereyda’s innovative 2000 film adaptation of Hamlet updates the prince’s tale to modern-day New York, swapping Denmark for the Denmark Corporation and the king for a CEO. One wonders if Hernandez-Phillips chose the 1950s because he is enamored of that period’s fashion — and, indeed, the mid-century wardrobe choices (costume design by Christina Bayer) are fabulous.
Another curious directorial choice was to make the melancholy traveller Jaques (a terrific Zion Aguilar), who recites many of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches, speak with a French accent. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that choice, except Shakespearean dialogue can be difficult enough to follow for modern audiences without adding the extra challenge of a foreign accent.
Having said all that, the production is staged nicely with spiritedness. Almost all the cast members are clearly professional with a good grasp of Shakespearean language. Aside from Plotin and Aguilar, standouts include Johnson as Rosalind, Trotter as Orlando, Alexis as Celia, and Estrada as Silvius.
Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Through Sept. 30. LongBeachPlayhouse.com or call 562-494-1014, option 1. Running time 3 hours, including a 15-minute intermission.
