Chicago Shakespeare opened its 2021/2022 season with As You Like It in the magnificent setting of the Courtyard Theater, where the audience is transported back into the ’60s with the help of William Shakespeare and The Beatles.

As you walk into the theater, you witness a wrestling match, which can confuse an audience who can’t understand how it fits in this Skakesperian Beatles production centered around love. However, they blend this bizarre WWE match by slowly settling into this groove of seeing how power, affluence, and love intermingle.

After winning a wrestling match against Charles, the reigning champion, Duke Frederick, refuses Orlando the prize money after discovering his sir name. His brother Oliver also threatens his life; forces him to leave the court. Orlando departed feeling dispirited that he would never get to see Rosalind, a beautiful young noblewoman he recently met. Orlando also smites Rosalind, but when the Duke hears of her love, he expells his brother’s daughter, the banished Duke Senior, from the courts. Frederick’s daughter, Celia, tries to defend Rosalind and ask her father for mercy. Still, he rebukes her, and the two cousins, disguised as a shepherdess and a male named Ganymede, leave the court seeking refutes amongst the land where Duke Senior dwells.

Leaving behind the entitlements afforded to them by Duke Frederick,
Celia, Rosalind, and Touchstone, the court jester, journey into the Forest of Arden to find Duke Senior. Unbeknown to Rosalind, Orlando is in the forest. When she meets him as androgynous Grace Jones, David Bowie character, Granymeade, she tries to fight off her feelings for Orlando. It gets even more confusing when Phoebe falls for Granmeade and finds “Something” about the way he moves and wooze her attractive, and the “Helter Skelter” of love grows out of control.

As You Like It blends Shakespeare’s poetry and hits songs of The Beatles to perfection. We get to relive songs like, Let It Be, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can’t Buy Me, Love, Here Comes the Sun, I Am The Walrus, and All You Need Is Love. Pairing these two together and the hippie’s environment with colorful psychedelic outfits makes this romantic comedy a hit! It also provided that 60’s hangout and relax vibe with the classic VW van decked out with its Hippie artwork and the band featured on stage and throughout the play.

While many of the actors have performed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, several were making the debut, including Lachrisa Grandberry as Audrey/Mother Russia and Kayvon Khoshkam as Touchstone. We loved the high energy between Grandberry and Khoshkam, who looks terrific as a cross between Austin Powers, Elton John look-alike.

We liked the chemistry between Liam Quealy (Orlando) and Lakeisha Renee (Rosalind), who played the lead roles, and the nostalgia of the night was, in a word, magical.

The singing wasn’t as polished, but the acting and continual motion hide any missed notes throughout the play. However, the enthusiasm was electric as you could feel the fun and joy the actors were having as they performed.

Artistic Director Barbara Gaines said that people who see this rom-com would recognize themselves in this play, and based on the audience’s vibe, she was right. They dug it! As You Like It is full of laughs and superbly orchestrates Shakespeare with the songs of the Beatles.

As You Like It ended with The Beatles song, “All You Need Is Love, which brought the audience to its feet.

Let’s Play Highly Recommends, As You Like It, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
Conceived by Daryl Cloran and
The Bard on The Beach Shakespeare Festival
Adapted and directed by Daryl Cloran
OCTOBER 6 – NOVEMBER 21, 2021