We have all been touched by the types of romantic comedies portrayed in numerous works by the beloved and famed English Bard, William Shakespeare, and so, can identify with, and be pulled into, some of the antics unfolding during staged performances.
The absurdity of the situational comedy, and the obvious enjoyment of the actors and audience alike in this rendition of “As You Like It” that was performed at the beatific Wente Estate Winery and Tasting Room in Livermore was an experience to be savored.
In his prolific works, the Bard has used the cornerstone of love, romance, jealousy, as some key emotions to weave a tale of the human experience. This play had various flavors of love embedded throughout…love-at-first-sight, unrequited love, sibling love, and lost love, charmingly executed by seasoned actors from the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, in association with the University of Pacific Theatre Arts, under the direction of the talented Lisa A. Tromovitch.
Summer festivals are a special favorite, as the outdoor milieu of the verdant and scenic vineyard itself was enough to put the audience in a romantic mood! Coupled with a lazily sipped glass of Wente’s Reisling (among other offerings for sale) added to the ambience. The raised circular stage was constructed solely for these series of plays, and had four aisles as entry points for actors to enter the stage with unrestricted viewing from any angle.
The setting allowed the audience to be intimate with the characters, and wholly participate in the enjoyment of the work. To top it all, California served up the best weather for that evening in mid July, hovering at a tepid 75 degrees, not even requiring a light shawl.
There were also flavored water stations for those desiring a non alcoholic beverage to parch their thirst, as it was a Family Night Preview. The audience, consisting of all age groups, was ready to become part of the experience as we gladly sank our feet into the lush grass below in our assigned seating and settled back for a viewing.
Majority of the action in this play takes place in the pastoral vistas of the Forest of Arden, where the characters ultimately congregate through some agency or another. Away from the deceitful politics of the Court, they find the pull of love hard to resist and give themselves in to the giddy experiences. Orlando, the youngest son of a Lord, brilliantly played by Joseph Salazar, finds himself in this venue after losing to the court wrestler, Charles, and disagreeing with older brother, Oliver, commandingly acted by Patrick Andrew Jones.
Duke Frederick, having usurped the dukedom has already banished the Duke Senior to the Forest. Rosalind, Duke Senior’s daughter, too flees prosecution and arrives at the Forest in disguise as the boy, Ganymede, along with her cousin and confidante, Celia, Duke Frederick’s daughter; and Touchstone, the court jester.
Having already fallen in love at first sight with Orlando earlier, Rosalind, now Ganymede, played by Maryssa Wanlass, uses her disguise to test Orlando’s honesty, trustworthiness and steadfastness while falling deeper in love with him when he rises to the challenge. Deftly concealed amorous interactions ensue, when Rosalind strategically uses her disguised persona as Ganymede, to get closer to Orlando. Along the same lines, she professes to “cure” him of his “malady” of love.
It is typical in Shakespearean plays to employ the ruse of disguised identities to play on the theme of love. As an unintended and unfortunate consequence of this, Phoebe, a shepherdess in the Forest begins to fall in love with Ganymede, the disguised Rosalind, while herself being the object of love for Sylvius, a shepherd. Lindsay Marie Schemeltzer, as Phoebe had a smaller, but delightful role as the pursuer of Rosalind, and being wooed by Sylvius.
Of course, cousin Celia, coyly played by Lilian Wouters, must be paired up too, so enters Oliver, the older brother of Orlando, who has now forgiven the brotherly spat after being rescued from danger by him, and promptly proceeds to fall in love with Celia. Touchstone, obligingly becomes enamored by Audrey, a goatherd, charmingly played by Amy Billroth-Maclurg.
Along the development of these themes, is some lovely serenading, as actors punctuate dialogues with musical interludes, and merrily live their lives free of distraction from the court politics, and reveling in the richness of human experiences. However, a melancholy nobleman, Jacques, played by Michael Wayne Rice, provides sharp contrast to the merry band in the Forest of Arden.
As an astute observer, he disputes the hardships of life in the country, and delivers the famous, oft quoted speech, “all the world’s a stage”. The antics of Touchstone, the jester, energetically played by Alan Littlehales, provides comic relief, while the entertaining shepherd, Sylvius, played by Aaron Kitchin spews obvious wisdom, adding to the hilarity of the situation.
All the intended couples are united in the end, true identities revealed, and rightful rulers returned to their dukedom, in a feel good, happy ending, typical of the Bard’s joyous comedies. As a group, the cast delivers on most counts, the acting, dialogue and singing were superlative, the costumes authentic, and antics engaging.
The amphitheater like setting was definitely a plus in many ways, however, the challenge was to maintain the appropriate acoustics. A few lines were lost hither and thither as the actors moved about, but it was not enough to mar the experience. Most heartening was to see the young ones getting into the play, despite the challenges of following dialogues in Shakespearean English.
We look forward to more such joyful encounters with this promising drama company in the future.
Archana Asthana
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