A diverse cast of amateurs and pros comes together in As You Like It at the Delacorte (photo by Joan Marcus)
AS YOU LIKE IT
Central Park, Delacorte Theater
Tuesday – Sunday through September 11, free, 8:00
publictheater.org
In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Delacorte Theater and the tenth anniversary of the Public Theater’s Public Works program, which brings together professional artists and community members in short-run, large-scale productions, Shakespeare in the Park has brought back Public Theater artist-in-residence Shaina Taub and Public Works director Laurie Woolery’s 2017 adaptation of the Bard’s pastoral comedy favorite, As You Like It. Continuing in Central Park through September 11, the musical is a delightful take on the story of hidden identity, family dysfunction, and true love, set in and around the forest of Arden and given a decidedly twenty-first-century twist while often referencing the show.
“All the world’s a stage / and everybody’s in the show / Nobody’s a pro / All the world’s a stage / and every day, we play our part / acting out our heart / Year by year, we grow / learning as we go / trying to tell a story we can feel / How do you make the magic real?” Taub, as the melancholy Jaques, sings as a form of introduction, words that relate to the musical, to Public Works, and life itself.
Later, Duke Senior (usually portrayed by Darius de Haas but I saw Amar Atkins), who has been exiled by his younger brother, Duke Frederick (Eric Pierre), and leads a poor but tight-knit community in Arden, declares, “I will not be free / until we are all free / Under the greenwood tree / you shall see no enemy / Do not fear / All / All are welcome here,” letting everyone onstage and in the audience know that this is an inclusive experience. The cast of 127 features performers from ages 7 to 82, mostly amateurs, from partner organizations across the five boroughs: Brownsville Recreation Center, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Children’s Aid, DreamYard, Domestic Workers United, the Fortune Society, and Military Resilience Foundation. Each participant is listed in the program and gets to make a personal statement.
Taub, who wrote the music and lyrics, and Woolery, who directs, have created a multiethnic spectacle with key gender swaps, which deliver added depth to the narrative. Tired of being persecuted by his older brother Oliver (Renrick Palmer), orphaned gentleman Orlando (Ato Blankson-Wood, Trevor McGhie) believes he can prove his worth by winning a wrestling tournament. The bouts are hilariously choreographed in a ring that rises from below the stage; the competitors range from the masked and massive Bronco to Frankie Flow and a wiry and vicious caveman (actual lucha libre wrestlers from the Bronx Wrestling Federation).
Rosalind (Rebecca Naomi Jones) is banished by her uncle, Duke Frederick (Eric Pierre), in Shakespeare adaptation (photo by Joan Marcus)
After pulling out a surprise victory, Orlando falls instantly in love with Rosalind (Rebecca Naomi Jones), the daughter of Duke Senior, and is subsequently banished by her uncle. Rosalind, accompanied by her best friend, Celia (Idania Quezada), Duke Frederick’s daughter, disguise themselves as Ganymede and Aliena, respectively, and head out into the forest joined by their loyal fool, Touchstone (Christopher M. Ramirez). Orlando flees the court and goes to Arden as well, seeking out his sweetheart.
Soon Orlando, not recognizing that Ganymede is in fact Rosalind, is befriended by his disguised love, who teaches him the art of wooing. Celia develops a liking for Oliver. Touchstone becomes desperate to hook up with farmhand Andy (Jonathan Jordan), who might have a thing for farmer William (Damion Allen). And shepherdess Silvia (Brianna Cabrera; Claudia Yanez) is mad for shepherdess Phoebe (Bianca Edwards), who wants nothing to do with her and instead develops a taste for Ganymede.
Distressed by Phoebe’s spurning, Silvia sings, “You Phoebe me / Why you gotta Phoebe me?” Phoebe cruelly retorts, “You say my glance is lethal / but girl, I know you’re lying / cause I’m giving you a death stare / and I don’t see you dying!” To “Phoebe” someone becomes a joke throughout the rest of the play.
Meanwhile, whenever Orlando bursts out into a solo, he is joined by a riotous backup group dressed in gleaming all-white, De Boys band dancers (Tristan André, Pierre Harmony Graves, Bobby Moody, Edwin Rivera), who groove with him seamlessly to the immense delight of the audience.
But trouble awaits when Duke Frederick decides to invade the forest and put an end to all the romantic shenanigans.
The large cast rehearses indoors for As You Like It (photo by Joan Marcus)
Taub, who previously adapted Twelfth Night for Public Works, serves as a kind of narrator as Jaques, appearing now and then to offer such warnings as “We shall make the same mistakes and never learn!,” “The worst fault you have is to be in love,” and “Give me leave to speak my mind and I will through and through cleanse the infected world, if they will patiently receive my medicine!” Of course, the medicine she and Woolery (Manahatta, Eureka) deliver is more than just a panacea but at the very least a temporary cure for whatever ails you.
The songs run the gamut from pop to R&B to rap and romantic ballads, with wonderful orchestrations by Mike Brun and original choreography by Sonya Tayeh, playfully restaged with additions by Billy Griffin. Duke Frederick’s entrances and exits are particularly memorable, accompanied by a royal guard that proclaims, “All hail Duke Frederick” to a melody that recalls the evil Imperial March theme from Star Wars, while the De Boys boy band brings down the house each time they put on the moves.
The set, anchored by a rear bridge and three trees on a revolving center, is by Myung Hee Cho, with lavish costumes by Emilio Sosa, lighting by Isabella Byrd, and sound by Sun Hee Kil. The animal puppets are by James Ortiz, the designer behind the remarkable puppets in The Skin of Our Teeth and Into the Woods.
The cast is a delight, from the leads to the bit players; in the program, the actors are listed alphabetically and each gets the same amount of space, three or four lines, whether it’s Taub, Jones, Blankson-Wood, or Ramirez or Vivian Jett Brown as Miss Amiens, Tommy Williams or Jason Asher as the referee, or Monica Patricia Davis or Alfreda Small as Ada.
The show was written in response to the 2016 presidential election and how it has torn apart the nation. It returns at a time when we all need healing and a way to come together despite our differences. In As You Like It, Jaques calls it “a miserable world,” but it’s significantly better with musicals like this in it.