As You Like It
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed and Adapted by Don Johnson
at various Chicago Parks (schedule)
thru Aug 5 | tickets: FREE | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Bringing free Shakespeare to a neighborhood park near you
Spectralia Theatre’s Bard in the Parks presents
As You Like It
Review by Lauren Whalen
There’s something wondrous about walking into a park and seeing Shakespeare performed. The fact that I live in a city whose parks will pair with a young theater company is positively inspiring. Founded only last year, Spectralia Theatre has made it their mission to bring public domain works to the masses and make classical texts accessible to the youngest of audience members. It’s a noble cause, and tough to accomplish with limited resources on a shoestring budget. Spectralia’s 90-minute, family-friendly version of As You Like It is a valiant and enthusiastic attempt with a naturalistic approach befitting an evening in the Chicago parks.
As Spectralia is a very young company, many elements are rough around the edges. Sets are minimal, costumes appear to hail from the actors’ closets. This is all well and good: Shakespeare’s witty verse and spectacular stories don’t require elaborate production values. The strongest aspect of this As You Like It is the cast’s dedication. It’s clear each actor truly believes in the show and in the company’s mission. Even when they stumble over their lines or miss their entrances, they’re underdogs loaded with potential, a rags-to-riches story in the making. With this company, there is nowhere to go but up.
As You Like It presents ample room for improvement. Though mistakes happen in live theater (part of its charm), dropped lines and late entrances shouldn’t occur multiple times in any Chicago production. In a city where the play’s the thing, competition for audiences is fierce and standards are high even for the tiniest of companies. There must be a reason for each lisp, accent or mannerism a character displays, and though outdoor theater requires louder voices and larger gestures, over-exaggeration isn’t necessary. Audiences can become easily confused when actors alternate between over- and underplaying characters, and cohesion gets lost in the shuffle. And any play without an intermission must have tight, fast pacing – especially when competing with the sights and sounds of a city park.
Even at their roughest, Spectralia’s band of actors give off the happy and excited aura of a true traveling troupe. When answering questions of the youngest audience members, their love for Shakespeare is contagious. As You Like It is far from a perfect production, but hopefully Spectralia is open to feedback on how to take their productions to a more polished level. Because free access to a comedy classic in the great outdoors is a very positive start.
Rating: ★★
As You Like It continues through August 5th at various Chicago parks (see list below). All performances begin at 5pm. Tickets are FREE (with donations welcome). More info at Spectralia.org. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
Location Schedule
Weekend 1: June 30 and July 1 at Ravenswood Manor Park (4626 N. Manor)
Weekend 2: July 7 at Wrightwood Park, July 8 at Nichols Park (1355 E. 53rd St)
Weekend 3: July 14 and 15 at Touhy Park (7348 N. Paulina)
Weekend 4: July 21 and 22 at Skinner Park (1331 W. Adams)
Weekend 5: July 28 and 29 at Portage Park (4100 N. Long)
Weekend 6: August 4 and 5 at Chase Park (4701 N. Ashland).
All performances begin at 5pm and are free of charge. Donations are
always appreciated.
Photos by David Braverman
