By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 22, 2012
Shakespeare lover, theatre lover and lover of desire, disguise and dramatic fights (you are all one of the same, right?), the UFV theatre department has a play for you. This spring’s Shakespearian production As You Like It promises intrigue and excitement that you can’t miss.
Rebekah Brisco, lead actress in As You Like It, said, “[It looks] pretty amazing so far. Very funny, very exciting to watch.”
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. It is a comedy following the witty and lovely heroine, Rosalind, as she flees persecution in her uncle’s court with her cousin, Celia, and Touchstone, the court jester, to the Forest of Arden. Here Rosalind must disguise herself as a man to keep her identity secret for her own safety. It is in this forest that Rosalind finds the handsome Orlando, with whom she has fallen in love with, but must interact with as a man.
Rosalind is a beautifully depicted, rich character, with complexity and depth. Brisco, who plays one of Shakespeare’s most beloved heroines, said that she is focusing on Rosalind’s journey and her growth of character. “She starts off as kind of a fragile girl who has her world turned upside down but kind of decides to take control of her own destiny and not let others push her around so much.”
At base level, Brisco explained that her character is “a girl finding out who she is and what she can actually do on her own, without the help of a man or anyone around her.” As simple as that sounds, the possibilities are far-reaching.
As You Like It has played at UFV before. Both the 1983 and 1998 versions were very well received, as the 2012 version promises to be.
“We’ve had a really great fight choreographer to come in to do some really awesome fight choreography. It has a lot of action to it, and a lot of really heartfelt moments to it, with love and loss and the things that everyone can relate to,” Brisco said.
“You have women falling in love with women who think they’re men and men falling in love with men who are playing women,” Brisco laughed. “There’s gender-bending roles going on which is sort of fun for the audience who knows what the other characters don’t, so I think people are going to find that very amusing to see.”
As You Like It plays from March 7-25, at the Chilliwack campus theatre. You can’t afford to miss it! If you’re checking your bank account, and you really think it’s the other way around—you can’t afford to go—ticket prices come as cheap as $9 on preview nights. There’s love at first sight, fighting and gender confusion – something for everyone. Phone the box office at 604-795-2814, or theatre@ufv.ca. Tickets are selling now, so check it out!
