Sunday, October 24, 1999

‘As You Like It’ is done as you'll like it

By MORRIS SULLIVAN
NEWS-JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

DAYTONA BEACH — When most people think of Shakespeare, they think of heavy-going tragedy, of Hamlet's despair, of Lady Macbeth frantically trying to rid herself of her bloodstains, of Romeo and Juliet's tragic deaths.

When most people think of Shakespeare, they probably don't think of musical comedy. They almost certainly don't think of wrestling.

Most people, then, will probably be surprised by the very enjoyable songs included in Seaside Music Theater's production of "As You Like It" and even more surprised by its wrestling scene, which, were it longer and accompanied by just a little more grunting and some stage blood, could almost headline a WWF card.

From grade school on, we're taught that Shakespeare created some of the greatest literature ever written in English. In fact, reading a list of quotes and catch phrases in common use that are attributable to the bard, it almost seems as if he invented the language. However, when Shakespeare was writing for his stage, he probably didn't set out to create great literature for future bored students. More likely, he intended to entertain the masses so they'd keep buying tickets, and his plays were staged for maximum entertainment effect.

Appropriately, Seaside Music Theater has produced "As You Like It" with the apparent intent of milking it for every drop of spectacle and mining it for every possible laugh. And it works.

Directed by Lester Malizia, the show is funny. Even if you miss a pun or two, there are plenty of sight gags to keep you laughing. For example, some very silly looking "sheep" get tossed and passed around like footballs, and the cast sometimes plays Shakespeare's "bawdy" scenes as steamy slapstick.

Of course, while the action, comic "bits" and spectacle are entertaining, it's Shakespeare's story and the words with which he tells it that have made "As You Like It" an enduring work. Seaside's production does it justice. "As You Like It" is a romantic farce full of mistaken identity, political intrigue, a very unusual love triangle, plot twists and a happy ending.

From the outset, the plot is twisted. As the story begins, Duke Frederick has forced Duke Senior into exile in the forest of Arden. The love story begins when the son of one of Frederick's nemeses, Orlando, meets Rosalind while preparing for a wrestling match in Frederick's court. Rosalind happens to be the daughter of the exiled Duke and best friend of Frederick's daughter, Celia. Orlando also happens to be the subject of a murder plot against him by his older brother, Oliver.

The plot gets even thicker: Almost everyone ends up in the forest, where Rosalind pretends to be a man, Ganymede, who encounters the love- struck Orlando, then pretends to be a woman. Almost everyone is in love, too. A young shepherd pursues a young woman who pursues Ganymede/ Rosalind, the court fool who has accompanied Rosalind and Celia into exile seduces a shepherd girl, and Celia falls for Oliver. In the end, with a little help from Hymen, the god of marriage, Rosalind manages to make everyone's romantic dreams come true, and the resolutions to all the political conflicts fall neatly into place.

Shakespeare's plays contain few, if any, notes on staging and action. Instead, a cast and director must rely entirely on the dialogue for guidance. With very rare exception, the cast uses his Elizabethan language as if born to it, and Lester Malizia's direction keeps the action moving at a quick pace. This Shakespeare never plods, but unfolds naturally and coherently.

On the whole, this cast tackles "As You Like It" with enthusiasm and finesse. Anna Stone nimbly rises to the challenges offered by Rosalind, a role that requires the performer to go from pampered royalty with a case of puppy love to an unfairly banished outcast to a "man" to the shrewd schemer who makes everything work out in the end.

The entire cast is impressive. Derrick Peterson and Jennifer Avery capably handle the roles of Rosalind's lovesick suitor, Orlando, and her best friend, Celia. Lou Tally switches gracefully from his role as the heartless Frederick to the comic shepherd, Corin. Gary Cadwallader plays the court fool, Touchstone, mining the role for all the wit it's worth. As Jaques, Nick Wuehrmann beautifully recites one of Shakespeare's better-known monologues, "All the world's a stage."

Some of the production's more stellar moments are delivered by its supporting characters. Robert Morgan is intimidating as Charles the Wrestler, hilarious as an ill-fated suitor, William, and appropriately surreal as Hymen. An assortment of Duke Senior's woodland followers apparently spend much of their time wandering and singing; the handful of beautifully performed songs are alone worth the price of admission.