Home  Entertainment Reviews Review -- As You Like It
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Written by ABQjournal staff
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Monday, 10 July 2006 |
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Review by Martine Tharp for the Journal The running joke is that Shakespeare only wrote one comedy with interchangeable parts: lovers flee to the woods to escape some sort of family or political censure, the crafty female lead resorts to cross-dressing, estranged brothers or other relatives fight and then find peace. Hijinks and merriment ensue before the final, big wedding-scene resolution. This formula may be best expressed in As You Like It, considered by many to be Shakespeare’s wittiest and most eloquent comedy, now playing at Sol Arts Gallery Theater. In As You Like It, as in his other comedies, the wilderness represents a place wherein the rules of civilization do not apply, a dangerous and free realm of possibility.
Director Colleen McClure’s choice of a “wild west” setting works brilliantly with this idea: the desert background is convincingly menacing, and as such resonates well with a contemporary Southwestern audience. The show has a tart Western twang, replete with cowboy-shepherds, outlaw Dukes and a fantastic live music “soundtrack” (performed by Gerard V. Bezzeg, Frank Melcori, Sara Escobedo and Sallie Phipps) reminiscent of Cold Mountain. The whole cast exhibits excellent comic timing and diction, clearly rendering the Bard’s wit and “bawdry.” Each one played his or her character to the hilt, and looked like they were having quite a bit of fun in the process. Of all Shakespeare’s heroines, Rosalind (Kristen Loree) may be the most active and outspoken, taking charge of her romance by disguising herself as a man (Ganymede) and offering relationship counseling to her beloved, Orlando (John Byrom). Loree delivers a tour-de-force performance. Her Rosalind is witty and stubborn, while her Ganymede is a cantankerous cowboy saltier than Yosemite Sam. Byrom portrays Orlando as a lovelorn and befuddled cowboy whose encounter with Ganymede leaves him understandably confused. Scenes between Orlando and Ganymede give the Brokeback Mountain boys a comical run for their money. Laira Morgan is very funny as both Rosalind’s cousin Celia and Ganymede’s countrified sister, Aliena. Joshua Narcisso deftly switches between his two roles as Duke Senior and his villainous brother Duke Frederick, while Frank Melcori portrays the cynical Jaques with understated restraint. Melcori’s painted set transforms Sol Arts’ space into a sunbaked desert, and Western costumes complete the atmosphere. This play is more fun than a drag show at a dude ranch- so go round you up some culture. If You Go WHAT: Shakespeare’s As You Like It WHEN: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. through July 30th WHERE: Sol Arts, 712 Central SE (1 block west of I-25) HOW MUCH: $10 general public, $8 seniors and students. Call 244-0049 for reservations
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About Reviewers D.S. Crafts (Website) Composer Daniel Steven Crafts came to New Mexico from San Francisco where he had hosted a classical music radio program on KPFA. His first commission from opera star Jerry Hadley, "The Song & the Slogan" based on texts by Carl Sandburg, was made into a TV program for the PBS network and aired nationally in 2004 and won an Emmy for Best Music. His latest opera La Llorona is a collaboration with novelist Rudolfo Anaya based on his play "The Season of La Llorona." Mr. Crafts is currently working on another commission from Jerry Hadley for a piece about the American Southwest which includes texts by Rudolfo Anaya and V.B. Price. Two CDs of his music, Contemporaries (short, satirical keyboard works) and ARIAS (excerpts from his various operas) have been released on the BACAT label in San Francisco.
David Steinberg David Steinberg has covered state government, the courts, city and county government in Santa Fe for the Albuquerque Journal. He's been an arts writer for the past 20 years, and serves as the book editor, for the Journal. Over the years, he's also acted in plays, sung in choruses and played trumpet.
Jennifer Noyer Jennifer Noyer has been writing dance reviews for the Albuquerque Journal for 17 years, as well as contributing articles for Dance Magazine and other art journals. She trained in dance with Hanya Holm in New York City and Colorado Springs, and studied several dance techniques at the graduate level at the University of Michigan. After teaching dance at Wayne State University she entered and completed a Masters Degree in Humanities there. In New Mexico Ms. Noyer has taught, directed, and choreographed contemporary dance for several years. Her writing on dance includes a monograph accompanying the video of choreographer Bill Evens’ ballet “The Legacy.” An overview of Evans’s world wide career, it was written and published during his tenure at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Noyer’s studies in the humanities, and her studio dance work influence her approach to dance as an integrative art form in the United States.
Barry Gaines Barry Gaines has taught Shakespeare in the University of New Mexico English Department for over twenty-five years and has received two outstanding teaching awards. He has written theater reviews for the Journal since 2000. He has attended theater all over the world including Shakespeare productions in Russia, South Africa, Denmark, and Poland. He has also served as literary advisor for two professional theater companies and written performance reviews for Shakespeare Quarterly. Gaines has taken two years of acting with Paul Ford and appeared in small parts in three plays at the Albuquerque Little Theater. He believes that he is probably a better reviewer than actor.
Joanne Sheehy Hoover Joanne Sheehy Hoover, music critic emeritus of the Albuquerque Journal, has written for NPR, PBS, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Symphony, among others. She has also been a music lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates and a music critic and arts writer for The Washington Post. She was director of the Levine School of Music, one of the country’s largest community music schools, in Washington, D. C. 1980-1993. She and her husband moved to Corrales, New Mexico in July 1993. Also a poet, her fifth collection, “Einstein in New Mexico,” was published in 2002.
Marissa Greenberg Marissa Greenberg is a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico English Department, where she teaches Shakespeare and early English literature. A prior guest reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, Greenberg will be reviewing theater while Barry Gaines is out of town. She also composed and edited the program notes for last year’s Albuquerque Shakespeare Festival and has written performance reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, Greenberg has been performing and studying drama for most of her life. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to review for the Journal.
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