The Bard meets Beatles in the 60s-inspired As You Like It, under the tents at Bard on the Beach until September 30th.
If you’ve never been to Bard on the Beach this is the show not to miss! As You Like It broke Bard box office records in its 2018 debut, and now returns to the Vanier Park stage after touring North America to rave reviews. Hoping to bring audiences back to near pre-pandemic levels, As You Like It is the perfect antidote to the last few years.
From the First Folio to Kit’s Beach, director Daryl Cloran’s production seamlessly takes Shakespeare’s original work from a 16th century Duchy in Frances’ Forest of Arden, and transplants it to Vancouver’s All-Star Wrestling ring and the Okanagan in the swinging 60s. With two-dozen Beatles songs included in this mash-up it’s remarkable how well the words of Lennon & McCartney intertwine with the Bard’s wit and wisdom.
Greeted by an All-Star Wrestling ring upon entering the BMO Mainstage and welcomed to the bout by MC Touchstone, played by the brilliant Andrew McNee, audiences realize that this will not be an ordinary evening of Shakespeare. The hero Orlando (Oscar Derkx) strives to better himself in life (and in the ring) but when the tyrannical promotor, Dame Frances (Jennifer Lines) finds out his parentage she exiles Orlando just as she’s done with her own sister and others of her ‘court’. Young Orlando has fallen for the Dame’s niece Rosalind (Chelsea Rose), who also finds herself banished, in the company of her cousin, Frances’ daughter Celia. Taking Touchstone in tow, Rosalind takes the disguise of a young lad, Ganymeade, and Celia as ‘his’ sister, Aliena, they make haste to freedom. With Orlando on the same route of exile, all roads lead to the Okanagan commune where Dame Senior (also Jennifer Lines) and her fellow banished nobles live, including the melancholy and cynical Jaques (Scott Bellis) who delivers some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines. As Touchstone reminds us ‘because it’s Shakespeare’, nothing is simple on the road to romance. Loaded with the tried-and-true Shakespearean comedy plot devices; mistaken identities & alter-egos, complex family dynamics, class struggles, romantic triangles, comedic sidekicks designed to keep audiences laughing and humming along on the way to a happy ending.
It’s not just the music (supervised by music director Ben Elliott) that makes a perfect fit, the set (by Pam Johnson), costumes (by Carmen Alatorre), and the cast all make this production of As You Like It a grand slam. Chelsea Rose and Oscar Derkx lead the production with their stand-out vocals, charisma and chemistry. The always stellar Jennifer Lines is equally icy as the domineering Dame Frances as she is warmly welcoming as the peace-loving Dame Senior. Andrew McNee and Scott Bellis (as Jaques) bring their scene-stealing comedic talents to every sideways glace and cheeky grin. Supported by the brilliant ensemble juggling multiple roles with comedy, dancing and musical prowess the production goes from strength to strength throughout.
With audiences clapping along as they leave the Mainstage*, they’re sure to keep singing the praises of As You Like It throughout the summer, so be sure to book your tickets sooner than later. Do not to miss out on one of the most fun evenings of theatre this summer, visit bardonthebeach.org for show details and tickets.
*Take note when booking tickets, As You Like It shares the Mainstage with Julius Caesar