Review: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S AS YOU LIKE IT at Henderson State University-Arkansas Hall

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely Players" is my favorite Shakespearian quote, so when I heard that Henderson State University and Actors Theatre of Little Rock were teaming up to perform AS YOU LIKE IT Thursday, April 6, through Sunday, April 9, I knew I had to make the trek to Arkadelphia. This romantic dramady had many of Shakespeare's elements in which to entertain you: there was fighting, banishment, love triangles, and cross dressing. The actors looked like they were having a lot of fun, and I'm sure mixing students with pros was a learning experience for all.

Though I will not give a complete CliffsNotes version of the story, here is an overview. The play opens with Orlando (Carson Horton) fuming on a bench, and when his brother Oliver (Camden Dalie Keech) basically tells him to get over it, Orlando lunges at Oliver, but lets him go. Orlando decides to wrestle Duke Frederick's (Jenny Moss) wrestler, Charles (Taylor Fulgham), however, Charles tells Oliver that he will not harm him much, and Oliver tells him to go for it. It is stated in conversation that Duke Frederick is the younger brother of Duke Senior (also Jenny Moss) and has overthrown and banished his brother out of the kingdom, where he has refuge with the forest people including the sentimental Jaques (Hillary Bell). Anyway, at the match, Rosalind (B. Dumas), Duke Senior's daughter and Celia (Georgeann Burbank), Frederick's daughter, are there to watch, and Orlando falls in love with Rosalind after he defeats Charles. Shortly, Rosalind is banished, and Le Beau (Natalie Gray) tells Orlando to flee from the court. Orlando is accompanied by the old family servant Adam (Eric Harrison), and Celia follows Rosalind, along with the court fool Touchstone (Bryce Nunn).

While in the woods hiding, Rosalind is disguised as a man named Ganymede and meets Pheobe (Zandora Chinwah) and Silvius (Chelsie Spain). Silvius is in love with Pheobe, but after Rosalind is rude to Pheobe, Pheobe falls in love with Ganymede. Rosalind also finds Orlando, who has been pining for her and has put love notes all over the trees. Rosalind (Ganymede) decides to cure Orlando of being in love with her and spends a lot of time together. Somewhere in there, Touchstone finds a love for himself-Audrey (Tyranni Hubbard), Oliver falls in love with Celia, and Rosalind is reunited with Duke Senior. In the end, there is a big multiple wedding ceremony performed by Hymen (Sophie Burke)- The God of Marriage, and Duke Senior somehow gets the kingdom back. There is a lot more to this story, but Shakespeare has a way of intricately weaving story lines with various themes that makes this article not the place to go into all of that.

Even when Shakespeare is performed correctly, it can still be confusing. There are so many twists and turns in his stories. Still, with the Direction by Mark Burbank, this collaboration of groups kept the show on track and held the tale together through humor and passion. I loved how whimsical Horton flitted throughout while being hopelessly in love. Spain was equally giddy as she chased after her love, and Touchstone's high energy goofiness was so funny. Dumas and Horton really had a few intimate moments that really brought out some oooooohhhh's from the audience, and Dumas and Burbank's bond was obviously really tight. Burbank was so much fun to watch. She really has great comedic timing-I am a fan! I also loved how Harrison brought a tender and gentile nature to Adam. And to my delight, Jenny Moses did an excellent job at bringing two different personas to the two different Dukes, so much so, that it took me a moment to realize she was playing both roles. The whole cast should be proud of the work that was put into this show.

This was my first visit to Henderson State University, and Arkansas Hall was an excellent introduction for me to their program. It's a beautiful facility. The stage was on the floor, and the seats were up coliseum style. The set, decoration, and lighting were very complimentary to the performance, and I loved the music that filled in the pauses of the show.

Founded in 1890, Henderson State University offers 23 undergraduate degrees and 10 graduate programs. First time Freshmen can get a scholarship based on their high school GPA instead of test scores. For more information on what the school offers, visit their website at https://www.hsu.edu.

Actors Theatre of Little Rock has just begun Season One, and I already know that I love this company. I believe in their mission statement and love that they are Performer Focused. I look forward to many more productions from them. Check out their website at https://actorstheatrelr.org, to see how you can join up with this wonderful group of storytellers.

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