This spring, the drama department presented “As You Like It,” a musical adaptation of the Shakespeare classic play. The show was directed by Class of 2020 Alumna Jessica Harris and ran March 27 through Sunday at the Culbreth Theatre. As a community-engaged musical, the show consisted of a diverse cast of 40, ranging from University students to community members of all ages.
“As You Like It” encouraged community engagement through both its casting and the themes of the show. Much of the dialogue from the original Shakespeare play was cut, but all of the major plot points are primarily the same. The musical tells the story of the inhabitants of a magical forest called Arden, who learn to connect with each other as they face challenges within themselves, their relationships and in maintaining their society. The characters demonstrated the power of forming a loving community with those around you.
Grace Caramanis, third-year College student and audience member, appreciated the community-centered aspect of the show. As a Charlottesville native, Caramanis saw both classmates and familiar community members in the show.
“I think theatre is meant to bring people together,” Caramanis said. “This show did a great job of achieving that.”
This message carries through the show, which follows Rosalind — played by fourth-year College student Maya Andersen — as she disguises herself as a boy to give romantic advice to Orlando — played by fourth-year College student Julian Rivera Santiago — who is madly in love with her. Rosalind and Orlando, along with a group of similarly lovestruck supporting characters, find solace within Arden as they attempt to escape the grasp of the unrelenting duke. Over the course of the show, Rosalind uses her experience as a “different” person to learn how to open herself up to love and new experiences, especially as she is welcomed into a new community.
The show mixes Shakespeare's original language with modern songs, juxtaposing iambic pentameter with a folk-pop musical style. A part of the show in which a character would typically deliver a monologue was replaced with a more digestible song, which aided audience members who may have not been as familiar with Shakespeare. The style of the songs ranged from folksy and dynamic to pensive and slow, but certain musical motifs kept coming back, tying the show's emotional themes and humor together.
Many large group scenes were told through song, producing high-energy and exciting ensemble numbers. Much of the original choreography, done by community member Shania Lee Thorpe, included the entire cast together on stage to showcase the community that Arden is.
Rivera Santiago emphasized the importance of bringing this many people together to put on a production this size and encouraged audiences to look deeply into the core message of the show. To Rivera Santiago, the community created within the world of the show is not limited to a fictional place.
“Arden is made up by the people. [It] is just that safe space in real life where you feel like you can have a bunch of people, friends, family and you can just be yourself,” Rivera Santiago said.
According to Andersen and Rivera Santiago, the cast and crew worked tirelessly to put on a show that was well-rounded and entertaining. Both actors additionally played characters that were somewhere outside of their typical comfort zone.
Andersen faced a particular challenge of portraying two versions of a character — Rosalind and Ganymede, the version of herself that is disguised as a boy — and worked hard to produce a convincing portrayal of both.
“A main challenge was finding the physicality and voice to be a boy,” Andersen said. “But also creating a girl character that's very different from me.”
Rivera Santiago also played a character who differs from himself as a person, and he wanted to play Orlando authentically. This was a collaborative process involving Rivera Santiago and Harris that took time to collaborate and find the perfect characterization.
“It took weeks of working together, really building that character, where I think we built that trust, where I trusted Jessica's intention, and she really trusted the choices I was making,” Rivera Santiago said.
This hard work was evident to audience members, who were clapping and laughing along with every scene during Sunday afternoon’s performance. The show extends its themes of community to the audience by engaging the audience fully with its bright set design and costumes.
Eva Geisinger, first-year College student and audience member, was especially captured by the diversity of age and background that this show included.
“Art that bridges generations is always pretty electric to me,” Gesinger said. “I loved the actors’ really energized take on this challenging material.”
The performance on Sunday afternoon concluded with a thunderous standing ovation from students and Charlottesville community members alike. “As You Like It” was a touching testament to the power of community and cooperation.
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