Curtains Up Winnipeg

Shakespeare in the Ruins is starting their season off strong with As You Like It. This may very well be one of the lightest of his comedies. According to director Michelle Boulet “it’s kind of an escapist play, but oddly in that that’s where you get the huge heart and all the feels”. For all that there’s an evil Duke and some banishing in there, mostly it collects a bunch of loveable misfits in the Forest of Ardenes trying to have fun and find love. This production takes the story and makes it comfortable, lived in, like a favourite garment you found in a thrift store. Nothing is urgent, nothing is pressing – mostly you just have people being idiots and then untangling it in the end. It’s light, it’s fun and it feels like a literal romp in the woods, perfect for promenade style theatre.

Unfortunately tornado warnings meant that I couldn’t see the dress rehearsal. This is one issue with outdoor theatre: Mother Nature is the cranky VIP guest with veto power over whether the show goes on. This is the trade we make to get to watch stories unfurl in the real environment where the landscape gets to be a starring character. The audience also gets to enjoy the setting in a way they might not have gotten the chance to. This production made the excellent choice to position musicians posed at various places along which the audience walked to the next setting. Great risk, great rewards. In this show, it did make a difference having the scenes in the forest be in the forest. I was fortunate enough to catch Saturday’s evening show – along with my grandmother. After all these years of being taken to plays, it was kind of fun to be the one with the extra ticket. I like this gig.

It’s hard to talk about a production without referring to THE PLOT. So here is the plot that sort of matters: noble but uneducated Orlando escapes to the forest after winning a wrestling trophy because his brother, the duke, is going to kill him. In the meantime, another Duke’s banished daughter, Rosalind, is sent away from her uncle’s home. According to Liam Dutiaume, who plays Orlando, “one duke is kind of high and mighty tyrannical and the other duke has really let go of that sense of power and control and is just living freely”. Rosalind and her cousin Celia decide that the logical thing to do is disguise themselves as men and disappear into the same forest. Of course her gender bending allows her to interact with her love Orlando outside of the restraints of gendered behaviour, which she thoroughly takes advantage of. Along the way there are songs, memorable characters, and of course everything turns out perfectly.

The costumes and decor are based on HBO’s White Lotus. Even not having seen the show I could feel they hinted at a vacation ambiance, particularly once they get to the forest. There is a sense that where we are is not entirely the real world with its obligations and tyrannical codes of conduct. Instead, we’ve handed somewhere softer where people can bend the rules a little. The show seemed to be located in a comfortable place – no rigid period costumes and corsets here, just lots of comfortable clothing and lounge-style wear. Contemporary, but not trendy. There were cocktails and golf carts and a truly well executed piano bar. It gave off the sense that this place the characters have all escaped to is not entirely everyday life – there is an element of escapism which was well illustrated through costumes and sets. It feels like a show that you can really take your time with without being rushed, enjoying the dialogue and bits of ridiculous action all the more because it doesn’t take itself seriously. Leading you, if you’re willing, to question whether all these codes of conduct and gendered norms really deserve all the respect they are apparently given. As Liam Dutiaume explains, Orlando ” is falling in love with the same person no matter how they are presenting.”

À propos of nothing, the wrestling show with the Charles-es-es in costume fighting Orlando is worth it on its own. I’m not saying that wrestling costumes engage in gender bending… but the flamboyance of their outfits does highlight the gender play we are going to see a little later. And tutus aren’t that much more feminine than many wrestling costumes, which I can officially say having bartended more than one live match.

The characterizations were also a lot of fun. Actor Liam Dutiaume describes Orlando as having “heartfelt and earnest quality about him” and he is endearing as a guy with more potential than polish but all the good intentions in the world. Rosalind (Mallory James) on the other hand has the feel of always being a little more eager and excitable than her society would like her to be, both as a Duke’s daughter and as a woman. Her counterpart Celia (Honey Pham) is the perfect compliment, both sharing her ideals but also being able to counsel her into rationality from time to time. Duke Frederick is priceless as the caftan wearing dude who seems to be pretty okay living in exile. There are all these little characterizations that are potential in the script without being explicitly laid out, and it’s fun to watch them play out. Every character has their moment of whimsy and fun.

Some of my favourite moments were those in which Rosalind, in disguise as “Ganymede”, was interacting with Orlando and explaining to him what “Rosalind” needs from him. The character was so charming in that ridiculous track suit, clearly wanting to pounce on him but also kind of wanting to train him to be the man she wants long term. As someone who is chronically early, I really appreciated her training him to actually communicate when he was going to be delayed. (Although his excuse was more than a little plausible. )

Honestly, there isn’t a lot that I want to pick at about this production – not because it’s a perfect play, but rather because it’s just really cohesive. It promises escapism and it delivers it. It says it’s going to be fun, and it really is. There is some interesting commentary, but the message certainly doesn’t overwhelm the play. It wasn’t a transcendent experience at the theatre that I will be analyzing for years to come, but it’s a show I will think fondly of and smile at. If you want theatre, this is good theatre. It’s a pretty accessible introduction to Shakespeare where you don’t have to memorize any genealogies and sit through three acts of people being horrible human beings (Richard III I’m looking at you).

Although… Justice for Phoebe! She did not deserve to be tricked in marriage with someone she wasn’t into! #justiceforphoebe