Photo by Michael Abrams Photography
William Shakespeare’s As You Like It has been long serenaded in print as well as celebrated on stage with all the stops pulled out. But The Storm Theatre and Blackfriars Repertory Theatre (at the Theatre of the Church of Notre Dame) fresh rendering of the classic is a production of a different stripe. Set in the early 17th century, somewhere in the Spanish colonies of the New World, it is distinctive for its pristine simplicity. Many recent revivals (like Sam Mendes’s As You Like It at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this season) have been staged on a large scale with imposing settings. But this current revival reduces the stagecraft to a bare minimum and the actors don’t have to compete with the scenery.
As You Like It tells the tale of the indomitable Rosalind, a young woman banished from the Court after her uncle usurps the dukedom from her father Duke Senior. Her loyal cousin Celia joins her in exile in the Forest of Arden, where Rosalind cross-dresses as Gannymede and Celia disguises herself as Aliena. Their depression gradually gives way to happiness and faith as they find love and adventure in this wilderness.
There’s traditional overtones to the entire evening but it’s never dull. Director Peter Dobbins uses a platform stage (set design by Ken Larson) and has boldly thrust the stage the length of the performing space and straight into the faces of the audience, who look on from opposite sides of the house. You won’t miss any of the action here. What this production lacks in decorative touches, it makes up for in sheer dynamism. The actors are never far from any audience member as they shuttle back and forth on this thrust stage. What’s more, the players’ entrances and exits are less restricted by this structural design. They even leap on and off the stage at strategic points in the plot, to emphasize a shift in the action.
This beloved play of Shakespeare is staged often, but seldom in an exhilarating fashion. This company instinctively knows that Shakespeare doesn’t have to be a formal ordeal but can be done effectively with sincerity and conviction. The props are few but effective. There’s a sturdy cut-off tree stump that suggests Duke Senior’s encampment in the Forest of Arden; and elongated columns of brown cloth that neatly evoke the trees where Orlando nails his verses. The Spanish-styled costumes are not overdone (costume design by Laura Taber Bacon) but true enough to the early 17th century colonial period in the New World. This is more about imagination than money, and it works like a charm.
Although the ensemble’s acting is uneven, the major role of Rosalind is intelligently acted by Erin Beirnard. And Peter Dobbins in the role of the cynical philosopher Jacques hits the mark, especially in the famous Seven Ages of Man speech. The other actors were serviceable, if not sublime.
One pastoral scene in this production deserves special mention and applause. It’s the episode midway through the play with the young lovers, Silvius and Phoebe, in which Rosalind chides Silvius for letting Phoebe treat him too much like a doormat, and Phoebe for being too vain. Although I have seen this scene countless times, it is difficult to pull off well. But thanks to Erin Beirnard’s Rosalind, Robert Carroll’s Silvius, and Christine Bullen’s Phoebe this scene possessed clarity and a droll humor.
The Blackfriars Repertory Theatre has a history worth sharing. Founded in 1998 by Friar Peter John Cameron as a revival of the original Blackfriar Theater (1940-1972), it hails as the first professional religious theater in New York City and the oldest continuous Off-Broadway theater in American stage history. Some theater luminaries have had their breaks on these boards, including playwright Robert Anderson, and actors Geraldine Page, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Darren McGavin, and Shelley Berman. In its past 11 years, it has devoted itself to established classics, under-acknowledged gems from the world repertory and invigorating new works.
Shakespeare enthusiasts should go the extra mile for this show. There’s a lot to like in this production and it won’t break your wallet.
Theatre of the Church of Notre Dame, 114th Street and Morningside Park.Tickets are $25 and are available at www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444.Thursdays through Saturdays @ 7:30pm; Saturdays @ 2pm.Through May 29th.