William Shakespeare’s use of misguided love and mistaken identities has had audiences laughing for centuries, and continues to tickle funny bones even today.
The Lord Leebrick Theatre Company opened its tenth annual Shakespearean play March 28 with a production of the romantic-comedy “As You Like It,” directed by John Schmor.
The LLTC actors came out with a strong performance, but there were only a few surprises or changes made to this oft-played piece.
In this classic tale, the Bad Duke (played by Bary Shaw) has banished his niece, Rosalind (played by Lauren Armstrong) from the city. Rosalind, accompanied by her cousin, Celia (played by Wayne Bund), flees into the forest of Arden. Rosalind disguises herself as a young boy, but when she meets her love, Orlando (played by Noah Smith), she cannot act on her love because she is dressed as a man. So she pretends to be “Rosalind” for Orlando to practice his wooing techniques.
The director has changed the character of Celia from a female role to a male role, adding to the role-playing confusion. In the time of Shakespeare, Celia, a female character, would have been played by a man pretending to be a woman dressed as a man. But in this production, Celia is a male character, played by a man pretending to be a woman. This confusion of the sexes is a central theme to the play and adds to the humor of the situation.
The action in the play affected the audience more than the actors. A rowdy wrestling match had some front row audience members dodging flying chairs, although no injuries were reported.
The theater’s intimate setting gave the audience a close-up view of every twitching eyebrow and secret glance between the characters — especially those between Rosalind and Celia — making the characters’ emotions much more evident.
The surprising gem of the evening’s performance came from the page, Amiens (played by Nicole Barrett). Turning her lyre in for a guitar, Amiens filled the small auditorium with a sultry voice that added an element of folk music to the play.
“As You Like It” will continue with performances at 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday until April 27. There will be no late seating. Tickets are available at the LLTC Box Office. Tickets are $12 to $16 for the general public and $8 for students for Thursday performances.