Writers Theatre’s “As You Like It,” with Elisa Carlson, Matthew C. Yee, Matt Edmonds and Mason Moss/Photo: Jenn Udoni
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The musical version of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” now playing at Writers Theatre, is a lot of fun, with foot-tapping tunes and a charismatic cast. But it could have used more Shakespeare.
The plot of the pastoral comedy is there, with a daughter and father exiled from a hostile court to the Forest of Arden, where the daughter must disguise herself as a boy. Between folk-pop songs by Tony Award-winner Shaina Taub (“Suffs”), there’s some well-delivered Shakespearean back and forth. However, there’s so much missing that anyone unfamiliar with the original play may sometimes wonder what’s going on.
For example, the character Jaques’ famous “All the World’s a Stage” soliloquy is gone. It’s replaced by Matthew C. Yee singing “All the world’s a stage/ And everybody’s in the show/ Nobody’s a pro…” It’s a good song, but not as good as the speech. This adaptation by Taub and Laurie Woolery, which premiered in 2017 at the Public Theater’s Public Works program in New York City, could have used both.
Nevertheless, this is an entertaining, big-hearted show, full of talent, with a lovely, fantastical set (Sara Ryung Clement and Jacelyn Stewart) featuring chandeliers hanging in the autumn-colored Arden trees. Under the direction of Braden Abraham, the show feels like the cast is having a party, and the audience is invited. Though at times confusing, this stripped-down “As You Like It” stresses the love and forgiveness at the heart of the story.
The strongest actors are Phoebe Gonzalez as Rosalind and Paul Oakley Stovall as her father. Stovall, who played George Washington in the touring company of “Hamilton,” elevates Taub’s music with his timber-shaking voice. His Duke Senior is a forest Zen master, above all the romantic foolishness of the youngsters around him.
Writers Theatre’s “As You Like It,” with Elisa Carlson, Andrea San Miguel and Phoebe Gonzalez/Photo: Jenn Udoni
As Rosalind, Gonzalez has a tremendous command of Shakespeare’s language, and shows her character’s wit and resourcefulness, whether she’s teasing her lovestruck suitor Orlando (Benjamin Mathew) or scheming with her best friend, Andrea San Miguel’s adorable Celia. Gonzalez is a core member of Wisconsin’s Shakespeare-focused American Players Theatre, which helps explain her ease with the text. She also sings two of the show’s best songs—the intense “Rosalind, Be Merry” and the humorous “When I’m Your Wife.”
The play imagines Duke Frederick (who exiles Rosalind and her father) as a mob boss, with his own comically scary theme song. Scott Aiello is terrific in this role, rigid with authority under his pinstriped suit. Other standouts in the cast include Dakota Hughes (Phoebe), Elliot Esquivel (William/Caveman) and Jackson Evans (Touchstone). Yee is a good world-weary Jaques, but there’s not enough of him—so much has been cut.
The costumes by Raquel Adorno are delightful, modeled on 1920s fashion. To disguise herself, Rosalind goes from a flapper in a sparkling gown to a black Charlie Chaplin suit with a bowler hat. Also new to this interpretation—a couple of the Arden romances are between same-sex couples.
Overall, this is a good time at the theater, and I left Glencoe with Taub’s “All the World’s a Stage” stuck in my head. But don’t expect too much Shakespeare—he is the crust of this pie, not the filling.
“As You Like It” runs through December 14 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. Tickets are $35-$115, available at writerstheatre.org.
