‘As You Like It’ @ Fair Assembly (Wyly)

Photos by Ben Torres

—Jan Farrington

“Oh coz, coz, coz, my pretty little coz, that thou didst know how many fathoms deep I am in love!”

Both in life and in theater, there are moments when clock and calendar are tossed aside, and we are pulled out of the regular order of living—making room for ideas, laws, and plans to be tweaked and played with…until all is “as you like it.” Such is the state of affairs in the forest of Arden, in Fair Assembly’s much-anticipated production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

The forest is, of course, one of Shakespeare’s go-to settings when he’s feeling the urge to play around, and (more seriously) to tinker with the shape of the “fair assembly” that is the human community, and with the possibilities of change and redemption. Yes, it feels like a happy hippie commune with resident minstrels, hey-nonny dances, and playful, anything-goes costumes from Steven Smith—but as with Sondheim’s centuries-later sojourn “into the woods,” there’s a lot happening here, and being learned.

Director Elizabeth Lovelady gets the blend of whimsy and seriousness just right—having tons of fun with the hey-nonny, but giving full weight to those moments where Shakespeare stops joking and talks straight and true about love, and about finding what we want most from life. Inside the Wyly Theatre’s studio space, in a cool clearing shadowed by the branches of trees (lighting by Joshua Manning) and full of original music by Ivan Dillard—this is the place to be on a scorching Dallas day.

But why are they in the forest? Bad Duke Frederick (a quietly menacing Dennis Raveneau) has banished his brother, the well-loved and rightful Duke Senior (also Raveneau, but in genial mode), who has fled to Arden with some of his faithful lords and attendants. Left behind is the good duke’s daughter Rosalind (Betsy Roth), BFF with her cousin Celia (Emily Ernst), the bad duke’s daughter. But when the twitchy and suspicious Frederick turns on Rosalind, both cousins head for Arden—”to liberty, and not to banishment,” says Celia—with the court’s fool Touchstone (Austin Tindle at my performance, Danny Lovelle for upcoming shows) in tow.

Just before their flight to safety in the woods, Rosalind meets Orlando (Mac Welch)—”O excellent young man!” —who wins a match at court with Charles the Wrestler (Jon Garrard). Orlando soon is on the run as well, from his hard-hearted older brother (Adam Elliott, who turns charmer later on) and the bad duke (Orlando’s father was loyal to Duke Senior). He lands in Arden too, obsessively nailing love notes to Rosalind on every tree. They meet again, of course, with Rosalind disguised for safety as the young man Ganymede. She/he offers to give Orlando lessons in wooing a lady…by “playing” his Rosalind as a hard-hearted, demanding, and mercurial woman.

This is, if you head into the weeds of theater history, a send-up of the popular “pastoral” style of the time (a countrified romance genre)—which by Shakespeare’s day was old and well-used enough to be treated as a bit of a joke: we meet high and low loves, city people and country folk—and most of them don’t quite behave as expected. Phoebe (Cheryl Lowber) is loved by sweet/dim shepherd Silvius (Garrard) but would rather snag the cute new city boy (Rosalind dressed as Ganymede). Touchstone (Tindle/Lovelle) and Audrey (Caitlin Chapa) are the bawdy couple (no pastoral innocence here), who definitely give us the “low-down” side of love.

And then there’s the “melancholy Jaques,” a picture of aesthetic sorrow (very fashionable among the Elizabethan elite). Meagan Harris never cracks a smile, though her eye twinkles (subtly) at the foibles of fellow humans. As Rosalind, Orlando, Celia and others grab life by the handful, Jaques shuns the mess and emotional strain of…well, being in life—though he takes an interest, even a sort of contained glee, in observing the action. Harris gives a singular performance—as does Roth as a winsome but straightforward Rosalind, Welch as Orlando (their dialogue/banter tells us they’re a perfect match), and Ernst as Celia, who gives this role a strength, humor, and decisiveness that keeps us impressed and amused:

Rosalind: “I cannot be out of the sight of Orlando. I’ll go find a shadow, and sigh till he come.”

Celia: “And I’ll sleep.”

The play’s verbal banter/comedy is a challenge, but the cast handles it very well, making clear with word inflections that they understand the text, and adding plenty of physical stage business to help us understand what’s happening. (Movement direction is by Sara Romersberger.)

And then, when Shakespeare turns on a dime to write straight-up about love—no banter, no complicated vintage puns—it’s breathtaking. Exquisitely true and beautiful, and we almost want to say Will, enough with the knee-slappers. Just. Do. This….until you make us cry for the joy of it.

There’s only one long weekend left of this show. Catch it if you can.

WHEN: August 3-13, 2023

WHERE: Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Dallas Arts District

WEB: fairassembly.com