Shakespeare Dallas’ Shakespeare in the Park series offers theatergoers the chance to sit outside with a picnic and a blanket and be entertained by the Bard. The lawn provides a nice view of the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre and most of the space operates on the first come, first served basis (hint: buy your tickets online and get there exactly at 7:00 in order to get a good spot). The amphitheatre has the added virtues of being wired for light and sound (the actors have head mics), and as the crowd tends to be rather large at these shows, that’s something to be thankful for.

Shakespeare Dallas gives a very conservative production of As You Like It and what struck me as most notable was the complete lack of agenda. Generally, directors mold Shakespeare plays into political or cultural statements. While I cannot definitively say that director René Moreno didn’t have some sort of angle on the play, this is a pretty straightforward production. It is set during the Spanish Civil War and thus the costuming and props all reflect this era— Rosalind and Celia wear 30s print dresses and most of the male actors wear trousers or Fascist uniforms. However, choosing Spain in the midst of conflict seems related more to the talents of a particular actor, Delilah Buitron, a fantastic singer and flamenco dancer who plays the added part of Carmela, “a rebel woman attending on Duke Senior” (from the program), as much as providing a nice historical explanation for why the two Dukes might be at odds with one another.

The show is a little slow at the start, the first act bogging down with all the exposition and not all that comedic in spite of the efforts of the truly funny Touchstone (who can ad lib a joke about cheap wine for the audience or deliver his lines in a dead-on impression of the Cowardly Lion). But the second act gains momentum, and once all the characters enter the forest, mirth invades the production and the pacing rushes the audience to the end. Rosalind (Joanna Schullenberg) and Celia (Jessica D. Turner) have a touching chemistry, and in many ways, Celia steals the show from her counterpart with funny little pantomimes and a wonderful comedic bubbliness. Orlando (Beau Trujillo) is earnest in his love for Rosalind and takes his lessons in wooing with good patience.  Jacques (TA Taylor) is sufficiently melancholy and provides his few moments of humor. However, the women of the play far outshine the men.

But what makes this production truly worthwhile is the music. All the songs of the play are intact and given haunting Spanish melodies and choreographed flamenco numbers. Such lovely music only reinforces that the forest of Arden is truly another world.

Bottom line: go grab a blanket, a bottle of cheap wine, and get your Shakespeare on.

~apangburn

Shakespeare Dallas’ As You Like It runs through July 23, 2011, on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. For more information, please visit http://www.shakespearedallas.org/productions/as-you-like-it.