For indie theatre supporters, there’s a bittersweetness to seeing Cal Shakes return after this year’s emergency fundraiser. Don’t get me wrong: as both a longtime patron and previous actor for the company, I’m as happy as anyone to know that it’s gotten a stay of execution. It always seemed unlikely that it would miss its fundraising goal when they got a very public donation from a famous alumnus, Oakland’s own Zendaya. yet the fact that it was in such peril is a reflection of the continuing struggles facing even some of the most storied companies .
That the show they’ve put on stars Cutting Ball’s Chris Steele just reminds one of how the impending closure of that vital indie company has seen them scrambling just to meet a fraction of their own last-minute fundraiser to produce one final show. I don’t say this to fault any of the talented folks involved, only to decry how crucial arts spaces live at the whims of deep-pocketed backers.
Still, back to Cal Shakes we went for a very chilly production of As You Like It (through September 29 at the Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda). Yes, the company is back in business with the Bard’s classic tale of mixed-up young lovers romping around in the woods as royal shenanigans take place in the background. (No, not that one–the other one.
As it goes: Young Rosalind (Sam Jackson) is the only remaining child of the deposed Duke Senior, allowed to stay in the city because she’s BFFs with Celia (Sofia Ahmad), daughter of usurper Duke Frederick (Catherine Castellanos). This makes Rosalind little more than a prisoner in her own homeland. As that’s going on, equally-distressed Orlando (Wiley Naman Strasser) is on the receiving end of torment from his dickish older sibling Oliver (Leontyne Mbele-Mbong), who’s all-too-eager to see Orlando lose a wrestling match to the beloved Charles (Jed Pesario). Orlando wins both the match and the affections of Rosalind, both to the consternation of Frederick.
Orlando and loyal servant Adam (Jessica Powell) flee to the woods of Arden, where the aforementioned deposed Duke Senior (also Castellanos) has learned to enjoy the simple life away from the big city. Little do any of Arden’s new or old inhabitants know, the impending arrival of the incognito Rosalind and Celia will bring everyone’s fate together soon enough.
One could scarcely ask for a better ensemble with which to signal Cal Shakes’ return. It would probably be enough to know that Catherine Castellanos is once again playing both a deposed noble and someone having a strong reaction to that change in power. Yet, the above-mentioned cast are also joined by an ensemble that includes Alicia MP Nelson, Nic Sommerfeld, Steele, and Stacy Ross, in another powerhouse turn, as Jaques. Ahmad and Powell are probably the only cast members with whose work I’m unfamiliar, but everyone delivers.
In fact, Ross’s choice to make Jaques’ famous pair of monologues (“All the world’s a stage” and “I met a fool in the forest”) into personal epiphanies will catch you by surprise if you’re only used to them being delivered derisively for the sake of big laughs.
As well as director Elizabeth Carter pulls great performances out of all her players, there are times where tonal whiplash becomes noticeable. The dramatic opening between Orlando and Oliver is an excellent tête-à-tête between Strasser and Mbele-Mbong, but it’s completely disconnected from the goofiness of the wrestling match in the next scene – not helped by certain choices (Charles and Orlando fighting in faux slo-mo) that are funnier in concept than in practice.
There’s no shortage of comedy veterans in the cast, with Nelson and Pesario practically stealing the show as Phebe and Silvius, respectively. And Steele’s glamorously drag turn as Touchstone is worth the price of admission alone. Yet, pacing issues abound nearly every minute of the show. It can sometimes feel as if different cast members are performing in an entirely different show than the people with whom they share scenes.
Better served are the production values. Nina Ball has once again designed a set that’s more than meets the eye: The only proper set piece begins as a large, dark green granite obelisk upstage. Once our cast head off to Arden, the piece opens, book-like, to reveal a brightly-colored wonderland within. (I was reminded of Katie Whitcraft’s stunning “open book” set from a 2019 production of Fahrenheit 451.) Colors are equally striking in Maggie Whitaker’s costumes, which have lots of bright primaries for the city scenes, melded colors for the Ardenites, with only a few natural browns and greens for characters like Adam.
Even though the Bruns Amphitheater is outdoors, I still arrived masked and with my Aranet4. Needless to say, CO² readings stayed in the 400+ppm range the entire show, but I was as glad to have the reader with me as I was glad to see five or six other people in the crowd masked.
If As You Like It truly represents the return of Cal Shakes, it’s a wee bit of a stumble. Every actor and production member was admirably chosen to show off their indisputable skills, but the direction lacks the sort of security one would expect from a Cal Shakes director. The Bruns isn’t just where people put on Shakespeare, Greek myths, or original tales, it’s where they use those stories to make unabashedly grand statements. It’s where the phrase “I wanna shout it from the hills!” takes on wonderful new meaning with productions that are big enough to leave a lasting impression—like the one left on a certain Oakland performer-turned-Hollywood star.
One certainly hopes it won’t be too long before Cal Shakes announces a proper full season of shows again. One also hopes that by then they’ll have shaken away the cobwebs of having been away for so long.
AS YOU LIKE IT runs through September 29 at the Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda. Tickets and further info here.
