As You Like It

The problem with mounting a free production of Shakespeare in the Park is that such an unadorned and ambitious job gets largely ignored, even when the company--Boomerang Theatre--is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Case in point, this blog entry, which I'm posting on 10/21. To their credit, the memory of a warm still-summer day brings a lot of positive memories to mind, especially of Jessi Gotta and Christian Toth, who play the man-swaggering Rosalind and the jocularly effete Touchstone to great effect. The overall effect of the play was that of a rowdy, fully energized troupe of actors getting together to have fun--something the folk music from Scott Lee Williams contributed greatly to--and what's most wonderful is how true to Shakespeare this natural, rambling play got from time to time. As You Like It, in particular, is a perfect play to set in the park (along with Midsummer), as it's light and frivolous comedy, the sort where you don't need to hear every word and are free to miss the jokes. As a critic, I couldn't help but think how nice it was to just lie back and enjoy this one.