Through a Downtown Los Angeles street setting and a eccentric gender-swapping cast, the University Players modernize a Shakespeare classic, “As You Like It.”
Director Maureen Huskey transformed this classic love story from the Elizabethan Era into a contemporary romantic comedy, while preserving the unforgettable lines of Shakespeare.
As Rosalind, Ashley Bonzell gives an enchanting performance of the play’s heroine by embodying her feminine power as well as her graceful love for Orlando (Brendan Quirk).
Through the leading role of Orlando, Quirk enunciates and articulates every single word, line and song lyric just how Shakespeare should be read — firmly, proudly, and passionately.
Rosalind, along with several of the other characters, is exiled from the court and decides to venture through the Forest of Ardenne, where the play takes place.
The thrust stage, which stretches into the audience for a more intimate theater experience, is an asphalt-painted painted road with orange construction cones and tiny patches of grass growing out of the cracks.
In the Forest of Ardenne, love stikes everyone’s heart, a wrestling match occurs, brothers quarrel and numerous sexual innuendos are exchanged. Although the play is technically a classic romantic play, Huskey is able to show how risque and bawdy some of Shakespeare’s lines can be interpreted. Throughout the play, every character makes some kind of hilarious, sexual pelvic-thrusting gesture.
The seductive Justin Jung took the term court “jester” to another level, with his feminine fitted-costume and sexual pet-like characteristics. Jung, as Touchstone, is the clown that accompanies Rosalind and her cousin, Celia, into the Forrest of Ardenne, where the three of them flirt, laugh and play together with a hinted secret threesome-love that his character could only dream about.
As Rosalind, Bonzell is not just a woman playing a male role, but a woman playing a female role, who is pretending to be a man. Her awkwardness as a man is comical and allows the audience to keep in mind that she is still a dainty woman underneath the hat, work pants and combat boots.
Aside from Rosalind’s cross-dressing character and Touchstone’s womanly, alluring costume, Silvius, a character normally played by a man, is performed by Annalisa Sevaly. She does an amusing and highly-realistic performance of showing how a man’s sexual frustration can let it get the best of him, by moaning and whining for the her beloved Pheobe on stage, as well as in the halls of the student theater.
One of the most memorable scenes in the play is the unique ballroom dance performed by Touchstone and Jaques (Eric Larson). This hilarious, yet graceful dance could not have been better choreographed. Aside from the womanly slides and sways done by Jung, the lifts and spins performed by the couple were impressive and synchronized with the music perfectly.
It is at this moment where Jaques finally shows an ounce of happiness, since throughout the play he is portrayed as a the sad clown whose melancholy manner is used to entertain others. With his bulging eyes and drooping mouth, Larson is in no need of sad-face clown makeup because his facial expressions say it all. Larson’s performance makes it easy to sympathize for for Jaques, but remain hopeful for him at the same time.
Seeing as it is currently National Coming Out Week, this play could be a representation of gay pride, and living life “as you like it” because that is what makes you happy.
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