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REVIEW: "As You Like It" at Shakespeare & Company
REVIEW: “As You Like It” at Shakespeare & Company
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New Century Theatre Presents "Life in the (413)"
New Century Theatre Presents “Life in the (413)”
New Century Theatre presents Life in the (413) October 7th at 7:00 PM Academy of Music, 274 Main St, Northampton, MA
The always popular Life in the (413) comes back to the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton on Sunday, October 7, 2018 at 7:00 pm. Join local actors and musicians as they celebrate the (413) communities as their home sweet home. The all-ages event is a fundraiser for New Century…
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by Jenny Hansell
A wooded glade lined with white pine trees in the Berkshires is a perfect stand-in for the Forest of Arden, the setting for As You Like It, the tale of palace intrigue, battling brothers, pastoral comedy and young love now at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.
Duke Frederick has banished his brother, Duke Senior, from court, but allowed Duke Senior’s daughter Rosalind to stay as companion to his own daughter, Celia. Young Orlando has been forced into poverty by his brother Oliver, who is withholding the fortune Orlando inherited from their father. As the play gets underway, Duke Frederick has a change of heart and sends Rosalind away, accusing her of being a traitor like her father. She and Celia decide to disguise themselves and go to the Forest of Arden, but not before she has fallen in love with Orlando after watching him in a wrestling match. Later, in the forest, disguised as Ganymede, a young page, she tests Orlando’s love for his fair Rosalind.
The director, Allyn Burrows, has set the play in the Roaring ‘20s, and the young women wear drop-waist dresses and cloche hats designed by Govane Lohbauer. The cast is filled with S&Co regulars and a few first-timers, all of whom handle the language and the slapstick comedy with equal ease.
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As Rosalind, Aimee Doherty sparkles brightly, her singing voice as strong as her acting. Her loyal bestie, Celia, is played with understated wit by Zoë Laiz, who is also weird and hilarious as Adam, Orlando’s pal, who is variously dragged around in a wheelbarrow or carried like a scarecrow. Ella Loudon shines in the dual roles of LaBelle, who she plays like a gangly French-accented schoolgirl, and Phoebe, the disdainful object of Silvius’s desperate affection. The latter two are played as backwoods hicks in overalls, caught up in a love triangle (quadrangle really) with Ganymede and Orlando, played with passion and wide-eyed innocence by Deaon Giffin-Pressley. As Silvius, Gregory Boover ably accompanies the plentiful songs on guitar.
Touchstone, the fool, is here female, and her lover is now Aubrey instead of Audrey. As played by MaConnia Chesser and Thomas Brazzle (who is also the dastardly Oliver), they are as lusty and bursting with earthy puns, commenting on the love travails of the others.
The play touches lightly on its themes of love (love at first sight, love between brothers and sisters, lusty love) and the benefits of nature over the artificial constraints of life at court (especially appropriate for a production set in our beautiful Berkshires). But mostly it’s just a romp, with happy endings all around.
As You Like It by William Shakespeare, directed by Allyn Burrows, runs from August 9-September 2, 2018 outdoors in the Roman Garden Theatre at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. Assistant Director: Lydia Barnett-Mulligan. Set Designer: Jim Youngerman. Costume Designer: Govane Lohbauer. Sound Designer And Original Music: Arshan Gailus. Stage Manager: Diane Healy. Vocal Coach: Ariel Bock. Movement Coach: Karen Beaumont. Choreographer: Susan Dibble. CAST: Gregory Boover as Silvius; Thomas Brazzle as Oliver/Aubrey; MaConnia Chesser as Touchstone; Aimee Doherty as Rosalind; Nigel Gore as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick; Deaon Griffin-Pressley as Orlando; Zoë Laiz as Celia; Ella Loudon as Phoebe; Mark Zeisler as Charles/Jacques.
Tickets for As You Like It are available online at shakespeare.org or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The Roman Garden Theatre is outdoors and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts.
REVIEW: “As You Like It” at Shakespeare & Company by Jenny Hansell A wooded glade lined with white pine trees in the Berkshires is a perfect stand-in for the Forest of Arden, the setting for As You Like It, the tale of palace intrigue, battling brothers, pastoral comedy and young love now at…
“Love is merely a madness” – Act III, Scene ii
(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy As You Like It, directed by the Company’s Artistic Director Allyn Burrows, who helmed last season’s acclaimed production of The Tempest. The Bard’s madcap story follows Rosalind, played by two-time Elliot Norton Award winner Aimee Doherty, who escapes a threatening world of oppression in the pursuit of love and the prospect of new horizons. Set in the Roaring Twenties, As You Like It will be performed outdoors in The Roman Garden Theatre, specially reconfigured for the season’s special sunset performances running from August 9 to September 2.
“As You Like It, with its theme of escape from the ominous menace of the Court to the sublime possibilities of love and new horizons in the countryside, evokes for me a particular period of self-discovery: The Roaring Twenties,” said Director Allyn Burrows. “Stylistically tipping the hat to that age of intense change seemed fitting, given Rosalind’s and others’ life altering journeys in this tale. I keep wondering why Shakespeare named the play As You Like It, except to say that love, combined with wit, is a joy to savor.”
The As You like it cast features a mix of Company veterans and newcomers including, Gregory Boover (Silvius), Thomas Brazzle (Oliver/Aubrey), MaConnia Chesser (Touchstone), Aimee Doherty (Rosalind), Nigel Gore (Duke Senior, Duke Frederick), Deaon Griffin-Pressley (Orlando), Zoë Laiz (Celia), Ella Loudon (Phoebe), and Mark Zeisler (Charles/Jacques). The creative team includes Jim Youngerman (Set Design), Govane Lohbauer (Costume Design), Arshan Gailus (Sound Design and Original Music), Diane Healy (Stage Manager), Ariel Bock (Vocal Coach), Karen Beaumont (Movement Coach), and Susan Dibble (Choreographer).
“It’s a thrill to work with this cast who are so totally willing to throw themselves into the crazy moments of this wily play,” added Burrows.
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“Rather than a stage, the playing space will be a very natural, undulating forest floor adding to the nature of the space in theater experience,” said Set Designer Jim Youngerman. “The set for As You Like It incorporates into the design existing elements in The Roman Garden Theater – a unique and alluring outdoor theater space.Saint Martin’s Hall, which dominates two sides of space with its classic art deco architecture will be adorned to represent the Court. The two large white pine trees on the west side of the theater, with the help of many white birch saplings, which will be planted in and around the playing space, become the enchanting forest of Arden. ”
Tickets for As You Like It are available online at shakespeare.org or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The Roman Garden Theatre is outdoors and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts. As You Like It is generously sponsored by The Dr. Gerald and Roberta Friedman Foundation. Additionally, Shakespeare & Company invites audiences to participate in a Conversation With the Artists on Saturday, August 18th at 2pm. Join Artistic Director Allyn Burrows, and the As You Like It actors, for an enlightening discussion about the production’s concept, creative process and the collaborative journey. For tickets and more information visit shakespeare.org.
In addition to As You Like It, the Company’s 2018 Summer Season includes Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the Tina Packer Playhouse and Love’s Labor’s Lostoutdoors at The Mount; plus Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by David Greig; Heisenberg by Simon Stephens, recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award; Mothers and Sons by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally; and HIR by Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac.
AT A GLANCE PRODUCTION: As You Like It PLAYWRIGHT: William Shakespeare DIRECTOR: Allyn Burrows ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Lydia Barnett-Mulligan SET DESIGNER: Jim Youngerman COSTUME DESIGNER: Govane Lohbauer SOUND DESIGNER AND ORIGINAL MUSIC: Arshan Gailus STAGE MANAGER: Diane Healy VOCAL COACH: Ariel Bock MOVEMENT COACH: Karen Beaumont CHOREOGRAPHER: Susan Dibble
CAST MEMBERS SILVIUS: Gregory Boover OLIVER/AUBREY: Thomas Brazzle TOUCHSTONE: MaConnia Chesser ROSALIND: Aimee Doherty DUKE SENIOR/DUKE FREDERICK: Nigel Gore ORLANDO: Deaon Griffin-Pressley CELIA: Zoë Laiz PHOEBE: Ella Loudon CHARLES/JACQUES: Mark Zeisler
SCHEDULE AUGUST Thursday, August 9 – 5:00 PM (preview) Friday, August 10 – 5:00 PM (preview) Saturday, August 11 – 5:00 PM (preview) Sunday, August 12 – 5:00 PM (opening) Tuesday, August 14 – 5:00 PM Wednesday, August 15 – 5:00 PM Thursday, August 16 – 5:00 PM Friday, August 17 – 5:00 PM Saturday, August 18 – 5:00 PM Sunday, August 19 – 5:00 PM Tuesday, August 21 – 5:00 PM Wednesday, August 22 – 5:00 PM Thursday, August 23 – 5:00 PM Friday, August 24 – 5:00 PM Saturday, August 25 – 5:00 PM Sunday, August 26 – 5:00 PM Tuesday, August 28 – 5:00 PM Wednesday, August 29 – 5:00 PM Thursday, August 30 – 5:00 PM Friday, August 31 – 5:00 PM
SEPTEMBER Saturday, September 1 – 5:00 PM Sunday, September 2 – 5:00 PM (closing)
PLOT SUMMARY Duke Senior has been usurped and banished from court by his younger brother Duke Frederick. Oliver de Boys is withholding from his younger brother, Orlando, his rightful inheritance. Their father was Sir Rowland de Boys, whom Duke Frederick claims was his enemy. Rosalind, the daughter of Duke Senior, is suddenly banished from court by her uncle, Duke Frederick, father of her cousin, Celia. Off they venture into the Forest of Arden, but not before Rosalind is smitten on first sight of Orlando at a wrestling match. Orlando must also flee the town due to his brother’s murderous intentions. With so many nobles heading to the woods, adventures dangerous, humorous, and love-struck ensue while fools Touchstone and Jacques lend their unique perspectives toward what results in a wonderfully gratifying conclusion.
RAIN POLICY From time to time weather may affect your enjoyment of the performance in The Roman Garden Theatre. Most often the show will go on and depending on the severity of the rain, will be performed as scheduled. If rain is heavy, performance in The Roman Garden Theatre will be moved to the Company’s tented Rose Theatre.
About Allyn Burrows (Twentieth Season; Artistic Director; Director: As You Like It) S&Co: Director of 40th Season’s The Tempest. Performances: God of Carnage, Or, King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry IV Part 1, etc. As Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project, directed numerous productions and performed in The Winter’s Tale, Henry VIII, Twelfth Night, King Lear, etc. Performances in Boston includeCan You Forgive Her (Huntington Theatre), Breaking the Code (Underground Railway Theatre), Shipwrecked (The Lyric Stage), The Seafarer and The Homecoming (Merrimack Repertory Theater), Five by Tenn (Speakeasy Stage). Elliot Norton Award for The Homecoming, King Lear, Five by Tenn; IRNE Award for Breaking the Code. Off-Broadway: Bug, Killer Joe, Louis Slotin Sonata, Closetland, etc. Regionally: Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, American Conservatory Theatre, Long Wharf, Denver Center, Walnut St. Television: “The Broad Squad,” “Law and Order,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Against the Law.” Films include The Company Men, Julie & Julia, and Manchester by the Sea.
About William Shakespeare (Playwright: Macbeth, As You Like It, Love’s Labor’s Lost) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. His works, including some collaborations, consist of about 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
About Shakespeare & Company Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.
Shakespeare & Company Presents “As You Like It” Outdoors in the Roman Garden Theatre “Love is merely a madness” - Act III, Scene ii (Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company…
(Lenox, MA) – Honoring Trustee Michael A. Miller for his twenty-five years of service, Shakespeare & Company held its 2018 Season Gala on Saturday, June 30th. The sold-out benefit, co-chaired by Rhea Werner and Suzanne Werner, was the most successful in Company history, raising more than $400,000 for Training, Education, and Performance programs.
The festivities began outdoors in The Roman Garden Theatre with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. At the sound of Dave Pickard’s trumpet, guests made their way to the Tina Packer Playhouse, as three performers rode horseback and actors from Love’s Labor’s Lost performed scenes from Henry V in the background.
The evening performance was headlined by musicians from the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, interspersed with monologues and scenes from veteran Shakespeare & Company artists. The Company then celebrated Michael A. Miller with a champagne toast. Shakespeare & Company Board Chair Kenneth E. Werner presented Miller with a special Honorary Citation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for his continued support of Shakespeare & Company and the greater Berkshire County cultural community. Along with the certificate, Miller was awarded a Shakespearean broadsword engraved with “once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” from Henry V.
“Our gratitude goes out to everyone who joined us for this celebratory evening,” said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. “We are especially thankful to Mike Miller. We are humbled by his continued dedication to the Company’s performance, education, and training programs, and glad we could honor the legacy he has generously helped to create.”
After the performance, guests were welcomed into the tented courtyard for an elegant dinner catered by Kate Baldwin Food. Company members surprised guests with the song and poetry inspired by the Berkshires immediately following dinner. Guests then returned to The Roman Garden Theatre for dancing with DJ BFG.
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Performing on behalf of the Silkroad Ensemble were Shaw Pong Liu, Kaoru Watanabe, and Michi Wiancko. Shakespeare & Company was represented by Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Gregory Boover, Thomas Brazzle, MaConnia Chesser, Kevin G. Coleman, Susan Dibble, Nehassaiu deGannes, Aimee Doherty, Jonathan Epstein, Deaon Grifin-Pressley, Ted Hewlett, Tamara Hickey, Cloteal Horne, Jennie M. Jadow, David Joseph, Zoë Laiz, Greta Mathews, Corinna May, Claudia Maurino, Annette Miller, Tina Packer, Simon Winchester, and Kristin Wold.
Rhea Werner (co-chair), Suzanne Werner (co-chair),Helene Berger, Sandra Bourgeois, George Camarda, Phoebe Giddon, Ricki Helfer, Dr. Beverly Hyman, Jennie Jadow, Deborah Ryan, Barry R. and Marjorie Shapiro, and Rose Zoltek-Jick formed the 2018 Gala Committee.
“We can’t thank our co-chairs Rhea Werner and Suzanne Werner enough,” said Managing Director Adam Davis. “Together with our Gala Committee, Board of Trustees, and staff they went above and beyond to make the Company’s first-ever sold-out Gala possible.”
The Shakespeare & Company Board of Trustees are Kenneth E. Werner (Chair), Jeffrey B. Konowitch (Vice Chair), Barry R. Shapiro (Vice Chair), Michael Helfer (Treasurer), Michael A. Miller (Clerk), Jerome Berko, Sandra Bourgeois, George Camarda, Kevin G. Coleman, Gerald Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Fuchs, Phoebe L. Giddon, Dr. Beverly Hyman, Jennie M. Jadow, Dennis Krausnick, Barri Marks, Maureen O’Hanlon, Helga S. Orthofer, Tina Packer, Claudia Perles, Scott Rubinow, William M. Ryan, David A. Smith, Robert B. Strassler, John Douglas Thompson, and Suzanne Werner.
Shakespeare & Company’s 2018 Gala was sponsored by Bella Flora, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Blue Q, Canyon Ranch, Chocolate Springs, Cranwell Resort, Golf Club Domaney’s, Liquors, Ken Krensta, Berkshire Aviation, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Nejaime’s Wine & Cheese Shop, Seven Hills Inn, SoCo Creamery, Soma Catering, Spirited Wines, Toole Companies, and Yankee Inn.
About Silkroad Ensemble When we create music together, we listen to our differences, connecting and creating meaning from them. The musicians of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble represent dozens of nationalities and artistic traditions, from Spain and Japan to Syria and the United States. The Ensemble is a musical collective that appears in many configurations and settings, from intimate groups of two and three in museum galleries to rousing complements of eighteen in concert halls, public squares, and amphitheaters. Silkroad musicians are also teachers, producers, and advocates. Off the stage, they lead Silkroad’s passion-driven learning programs, create residencies in schools, museums, and communities of all sizes, and experiment with new media, genres, and partners to share Silkroad’s approach to radical cultural collaboration. The Ensemble performs throughout the world, and has recorded six albums. Its Grammy Award-winning album, Sing Me Home, was developed and recorded alongside the 2016 documentary feature about Silkroad, The Music of Strangers.
About Shakespeare & Company Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.
Shakespeare & Company Holds 2018 Season Gala (Lenox, MA) – Honoring Trustee Michael A. Miller for his twenty-five years of service, Shakespeare & Company…
Shakespeare & Company Announces 2018 Season Casting
Shakespeare & Company Announces 2018 Season Casting
(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company announces its 2018 season casting. Under the direction of Artistic Director Allyn Burrows the Company’s Summer Season includes a roster of audience beloved artists, critically acclaimed actors, and a host of newcomers joining the Company. The season opens Memorial Day Weekend with Carey Crim’s New England Premiere of Morning After Grace, a comedic romance…
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Long awaited "Sondheim on Sondheim" arrives in Boston at Lyric Stage on Jan 15, 2016
Long awaited “Sondheim on Sondheim” arrives in Boston at Lyric Stage on Jan 15, 2016
Details announced for unusual musical, Sondheim on Sondheim Preview by Larry Murray To those of us who love theatre – and the intense music and lyrics that go with it – composer Stephen Sondheim is a legend. And his body of work is immense. The stars aligned for him from the very beginning. He began by writing lyrics for shows that are still around today, such as West Side Story and Gypsy.…
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Lyric Stage Company Takes Audiences "Into the Woods" for a Magical Experience
Lyric Stage Company Takes Audiences “Into the Woods” for a Magical Experience
Emily White ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
The Cast of Into the Woods. Photo Credit: Mark S. Howard/Lyric Stage Company.
Into the Woodsis one of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved and well-known musicals. Just before the show, Director Spiro Veludos called it “the greatest musical of the 20th century.” Its themes of family, fairytale, and finding one’s wish are universal and timeless. The…
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