Sacramento Bee
Theater review: 'As You Like It' in a Sacramento Summer
By Jim Carnes -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 AM, Monday, Jun. 27, 2005
It wouldn't be summer in Sacramento without Shakespeare in the park. And even when the weather is unsummery, the calendar says it's so - and so the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival returns to the William A. Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park.
 Presented by City Theatre at Sacramento City College, the festival opened its 20th season Friday with a laudable production of William Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It." Opening night's performance was preceded by a 15-minute retrospective with black-clad actors re-creating brief scenes from every play that has been produced during the festival.
"As You Like It" will be performed in repertory with "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which opens Friday. The retrospective will be performed before that performance as well.
"As You Like It" is a fairly standard romantic comedy - as standard as things get in Shakespeare's hands - involving bad blood between brothers, disagreeable dukes, banishment, a woman dressed as a man pretending to be a woman, and several randy couples all hoping, more or less, to marry. One thing that's remarkable about it is the heroine, Rosalind (the one who passes herself off as Ganymede in her banishment). She's one of Shakespeare's stronger women and gets more lines than any of his other female characters. Kathleen Saumure does a commendable job delivering that multitude of words in this production.
The play works on two levels, as a simple amusement and as a deeper philosophical discussion. This production, directed by Kim McCann, works better on the comic level - although it takes a while to get to it. The first act is one rather long setup for the punchy second act, which consists in large degree of skits in the form of songs and joking banter. Jes Gonzales as Touchstone, the court jester; Giselle L. Torres as Audrey, a goat herder; Neil Davidson as the shepherd Silvius and Kira Graybill as Phebe, the shepherdess of whom he's enamored, are highlights of the acting ensemble.
Davidson is especially funny as the love-struck Silvius, and so is Torres as the goat herder, though the decision to make Audrey more than simple - almost simple-minded - seems questionable. Her giggle, at first infectious, became irritating.
On the deeper level, "As You Like It" delves into discussions of such subjects as love, aging and death. One of the most famous of these is the character Jacques' speech beginning, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." John David Rambo acquits himself very well with this long and rather complicated passage that spells out the seven ages of man. He displays a good grasp of the content as well as the words.
Nathan Fleshman as Rosalind's suitor Orlando and Jason Nott in several smaller roles also are quite good.
Others in the cast have some difficulty with Shakespeare's language, which, to be fair, has some difficulties of its own.
A simple, multilevel stage designed by Shawn Weinsheink adequately represents Duke Frederick's Duchy and the Forest of Arden; David Harris' fight choreography is effective; and Nicole Sivell's costume design is very handsome - particularly the Ganymede outfit worn by Rosalind in disguise.
As You Like It
3 stars
WHAT: Sacramento Shakespeare Festival
WHEN: In repertory with "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which premieres Friday. "As You Like It" continues at 8:30 p.m. July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 28 and 30; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" plays Friday, Saturday and July 9, 14, 16, 21, 24, 29 and 31
WHERE: William A. Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park
TIME: Approximately 2 1/2 hours, including intermission
TICKETS: $14 general, $10 students, seniors, SARTA members and those with disabilities
INFORMATION: (916) 558-2228
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