Review: AS YOU LIKE IT by Dacha Theatre

William Shakespeare’s work, undoubtedly, is an acquired taste. Shakespeare’s poetry of language can turn people off (the Elizabethan language can be hard to follow).  Would you believe me if I told you that one way to make his work more approachable is by folding in layers of randomness and chaos? Of course you wouldn’t. But Dacha Theatre’s Shakespeare Dice lets fate decide the actors’ roles and scene order in their rendition of As You Like It. That should make the story clearer, right? Oh, and it takes place in a honky tonk karaoke bar. And it’s interactive. 

When the night’s MC Kate Drummond made this announcement at the top of the show, my initial feeling was panic. It seems so risky! How has each cast member possibly memorized the entirety of the play? Even if they did, could they convincingly portray any character at the drop of a hat? The scenes performed at random: will this make the play better? There’s no way.

Well, egg on my face, because this high-wire balancing act directed by Nick O’Leary was not only pulled off, but done so with a comfort and playfulness only highly prepared professionals accomplish. Shockingly, this worked. 

This method of storytelling I don’t think would work for every Shakeapeare, but layers of frantic costume changes, sprinting to hit your marks, and laughing through the tumult feels utterly appropriate for As You Like It. It’s a chaotic and odd comedy. The story has some familiar plot beats–romantic entanglements and confused identities–but there’s also really unconventional stuff in here like wrestlers, a triple wedding, and lions.

Here’s the synopsis: Strapping young hero and amateur wrestler Orlando falls in love at first sight with Rosalind. Rosalind’s Uncle, Duke Frederick, banishes Rosalind from court (she’s too popular!) to the treacherous Forest of Arden. She then gets in full drag just to be a regular person for a while, with her cousin Celia and court fool Touchstone in tow. Orlando eventually finds his way to Arden, where a rag tag group of misfit dukes, shepherds, and eccentrics are already making themselves at home. Things get messy when Rosalind (drag name Ganymede) befriends Orlando. Lots of confusion and Mrs. Doubtfire-type stuff. Hilarity ensues. 

Dacha Theatre’s dice rolling to assign story order and characters aligns itself well to the play’s mixed-up identities motif. And the honky tonk karaoke helps to ground the storytelling as well as add modern relevance when things feel just a little too wild. It’s a really clever storytelling device that feels Shakespearean–a little melodic soliloquy to remind audiences of each character’s emotional state. So even if the plot feels a little jumbled, a heartbroken Touchstone singing Lady A’s “I Need You Now” (for example) reminds audiences in non-Elizabethan language where he’s at at this moment. I will say, there are some karaoke numbers that also truly serve no purpose other than it being for fun. For example, a break from the story for the cast to do a line dance to Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman”. But that’s ok! It’s a silly show! All the world’s a stage, and the performers in this show are playing. 

Statistically, no two shows will be the same. The production I saw had some fantastic performances across the board, but some standouts were Adele Lim’s macho wrestling champion Charles, Jasmine Flora’s coquettish and melodramatic Celia, Jerik Fernandez’s bumbling and charming Rosalind, and all of Katie Drummond’s fourth-wall breaking and audio buttons peppered throughout the show. But, truly, the entire cast should be so proud of themselves for playing their assigned characters like they’d been rehearsing those roles alone.

This show is an absolute circus. Every scream and scrum between scenes had audiences giggling with delight. It’s just a really delightful show. An insane amount of preparation is required for a show this spontaneous. Bravo. Grab tickets to this show’s limited run while you can.

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