CSC's "As You Like It": Comedy with Romance

With the opening last weekend of As You Like It (soon to be in repertory with Henry V), Chesapeake Shakespeare Company brings back a lovely tradition of outdoor theatre in the summertime.  The atmosphere of the historic ruins in Ellicott City – high on a hill overlooking historic Ellicott City and against a backdrop of history (the ruins are those of a former girls school) – is conducive to a carefree good time of picnicking, community and darned good live theatre.  More importantly, with As You Like It, CSC re-establishes itself once again as the area's best provider of Shakespeare for the masses.  To a person, this entirely gifted company of actors, under the loving, creative hand of director Ian Gallanar remembers that Shakespeare need not sound like a foreign language.  They speak with clarity and such a deep understanding of what they are saying that it is nearly impossible not to fully understand what is going on.  Couple the speech with meaningful gestures and reactions and one could be deaf and still get much from this company.  Completely absent are those almost laughably overblown theatrics associated with SHAKESPEAREAN ACTING, replaced instead with passionate, real performances, where the actors are in love with the poetry they speak, not their love of their ability to speak it.  Bravo, CSC.

As You Like It, thoughtfully transported to late 19^th Century France, points up the love of people, nature and good wine, all three of which flow freely in this lush performance.  One of Shakespeare's comedies, you know going in that despite any number of plot twists and contrivances, our heroes will eventually win the love of their beloved and peace will replace any enmity in the land.  With the Bard, it is the journey, not the destination that offers the fun and surprises.  As You Like It offers many such delights. 

 

Under Gallanar's mostly tight direction, the evening fairly flies by, with Act Two being particularly brisk.  He and his company of game actors soar in the highly comic sections of the play, wrestling (yes, wrestling!), singing (yes, singing!) and disguising (naturally!) themselves with glee.  Clearly staged with care, these scenes are thrilling to watch and quite funny.  And on the whole, the entire evening is a veritable study in how to make the most use of a theater space creatively and always with an eye in creating interesting stage pictures. 

Among the actors who really standout (and not one person in the entire 23 member cast does less than an excellent job) in these comedic roles are Steve Beall and Joel Ballard as the wrestlers, both looking expert and buffoonish simultaneously.  The always wonderful Bob Alleman makes the most of the relatively small role of Silvius, and takes the "blank look" to new comedic heights.  The object of his affection is played by another favorite, Ashly Ruth Fishell who explodes onto the stage in act two like a wild pony finally free to run throughout the land.  Her doe-eyed exuberance is infectious as she loudly proclaims her dislike for Silvius and love for another (Rosalind disguised as a man).   

Another trio of CSC regulars have (not surprisingly) brought their A-game to the stage in Howard County.  Frank B. Moorman is a hoot as the servant Adam who begs, pleads and even sings to be included in the travels of his master, and Jenny Leopold is downright frightening (in that Wicked Witch of the West kind of way) as the furious and imperious Duchess, who banishes our heroes, and starts the ball rolling, plot-wise.  And Patrick Kilpatrick (soon to be the title player in Henry V) shows once again his impish, little boy-like sense of humor, making the most of a small, but very funny role (let that be a surprise to you!). 

And as wonderful as it is to see the CSC members together year after year (think a family reunion); it is always a delight each summer to discover a new talents in the fold.  This year, Vince Eisenson and Lindsay Kitt Wiebe are those new discoveries.  Mr. Eisenson has an impressive resume of roles under his belt, and fairly oozes charm and charisma with his formidable stage presence.  In a dual role, he makes the most of each of his scenes, always in the scene, whether front and center singing a tune or acting in a pantomime or to the side observing the action while nibbling an apple.  Ms. Wiebe also has an impressive list of credits both onstage and in the classroom.  Her love-sick character, Audrey, is played with delightful physical comedy – she marches, stomps and falls all over herself with expert timing and a witty delivery of everything from a line to a guttural moan.  I look forward to seeing both of these fine actors in the future. 

The other half of the dramatic equation here is the romantic part of "romantic comedy,"  which is also quite good, if not quite as easy and carefree as the comedy part.  Some of that has to do with the play itself, where longer, more poetic and romantic sections are hindered by repetitive dialogue (need 100 ways to say "I love you"?  Look no further than As You Like It).  Some of it also has to do with the delivery of those lines, some of which were stumbled over somewhat frequently by Christina Schlegel as Rosalind. Much to her credit though, Miss Schlegel never once broke character and nearly made it work as if it were a quirk of her character.  Perhaps, as sometimes happens when one stumbles, she became perhaps a little too guarded and slightly stiff.  Fortunately, those spurts of stiffness don't last long. 

Much more sure of her lines and in full command of her character was Rebecca Ellis as Rosalind's best friend and confidante, Celia.  Strong enough to defy her mother the Duchess and witty enough to stave off the debauchery of men, Ellis' Celia is very much a modern woman, fiercely loyal and totally in charge of her own life.  The man of her dreams (as she comes to find out at the end of the play, anyway) is the enemy brother of Rosalind's beloved.  Played with a swaggering machismo by Michael P. Sullivan, his take on Oliver is both villainous and romantic – not in easy combination to convey.

Just about any play Wayne Willinger is in, it seems, is bound to be good, and with him in the leading role, one would hope for nothing less than theatrical excellence.  Is he good?  You bet he is.  Is he great?  No.  But the reason really has less to do with him than with a role that doesn't offer this extremely gifted actor much to chew on or work with.  He and Miss Schlegel look terrific together, and in the up close, personal scenes there are hints of sparks.  But other times Mr. Willinger appears to be walking through the role – is he just getting through it? Not sure of himself?  Is he bored?  He doesn't even do much with the purposely awkward scenes where Rosalind, dressed and acting like a man, and says that he, Orlando, needs to learn methods of courting, and demands that Orlando call "him" Rosalind, and kiss "his" hand.  Instead of mining these obvious scenes for comedic and dramatic gold, Willinger comes out sort of flat.  All of that said, it is a testimony to his strength and innate abilities that Mr. Willinger is still quite good.

Finally, and pleasantly, as always, the technical folks have combined to make this terrific production look fantastic.  Dan O'Brien, Michelle Datz and Heidi Busch (set designers and decorators) have used the historic backdrop of the ruins to their fullest advantage creating a lovely background for the goings on.  In fact the scene change from the court to the Forest of Arden, offers one of the evening's hardiest laughs – the entire cast running around like keystone kops decorating every level and opening with a variety of potted shrubbery and plants.  How clever and creative!  CSC's best kept secret is, however, the magic that Kristina Lambdin creates with her beautiful, detailed costumes.  Somehow, she manages to create a palette of lively color while keeping both the characters and the actors playing them in mind. 

This weekend, the second summer show at CSC will open – Henry V.  In a rare opportunity (in this area, at least) to see true repertory Shakespeare.  The same gifted company that has breathed joyous life into As You Like It will also be performing in Henry V!  That's right – they have learned two completely different roles in two vastly different plays.  That alone is applause-worthy!  You've done it again, CSC!

PHOTOS: TOP: Rebecca Ellis and Christina Schlegel; BOTTOM: Wayne Willinger and Christina Schlegel.

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