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Review: She likes it, she likes it By
Natalie Larson
The Actors from the London Stage presented a unique and stunning opening performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It Tuesday in the Morgan Theatre. The troupe of actors were Guy Burgess, Lolita Chakrabarti, Ken Drury, Richard Howard and Jennifer Luckraft. This is the first time, they have toured together for the Actors from the London Stage, according to the program. In his famous soliloquy, Jaques said, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. And one man in his time plays many parts." This line holds true for this production. Each of the actors played three to eight roles through the course of the performance -- sometimes more than one at the same time. At one point, Burgess wrestled himself as Orlando and Charles the Wrestler. This scene was extremely well choreographed. Despite the number of roles each played, there was never a question of who was speaking. They did a superb job switching roles completely and making each character distinct with accent, mannerisms and props. The actors were amazingly professional. Each move had purpose, each inflected symbol added meaning, each detail complete in itself and each joke was met with laughter from an appreciative audience. In addition to good acting, they could also sing. All the music was a cappella. It was impeccable; there wasn't a missed note or off beat. Each song was complex in rhythm and harmony. The set was simple, which made it easy to manipulate in the imagination. It consisted of a white square drawn on the stage with nine chairs arranged strategically around the outside to allow the actors to exit and enter as they changed roles. The costumes also added to the smoothness of the flowing character transitions. The women wore divided skirts that were easily removed to show the transformation to a male character. A particular hat or sword identified others. In short, this romantic comedy tells the story of two young noble women who flee from a vengeful father in the guise of a young man and peasant maid. Into the woods they fly, only to meet destiny in the form of two warring brothers with whom they fall in love. The play is full of jibes and jests, but also deeper images of life. Orlando, watching his brother with Celia, said, "How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes." When Orlando tells her that he would love her "forever and a day," Rosalind said, "men are April when they woo, December when they wed," questioning his loyalty to her. The plot twists through the developing romance with interludes from other comic characters, but in the end all the characters have found their true love, all property is restored to its rightful owner and insults are forgiven. It portrays the gender norms for the time period. While Rosalyn is dressed as a man, she is taken more seriously and given more respect than as a woman. For those who weren't familiar with the plot line, it might have been difficult to follow because of Shakespeare's language and style. The actors did an amazing job understanding and portraying the intended message of the words. The play will also be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are free to students with their ID card.
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