Courtesy of Paola Nogueras

Courtesy of Paola Nogueras The lovers Rosalind (Jessica Bedford) and Orlando (Tim Rinehart) are reunited in the forest of Arden.

BY ANNE COLEMAN

In print | Published November 19, 2009

Last year, the Tri-Co saw a surge in Shakespeare productions. A certain amount of Shakespeare is to be expected every year in the Tri-Co, since the Bryn Mawr Shakespeare Troupe puts on at least one of the Bard’s plays each semester. But with four Shakespeare plays at Swarthmore alone last spring and three at Bryn Mawr, one cannot help but wonder if other colleges suffer from such a glut of verse.

Just five minutes down the road from Bryn Mawr and Haverford, Villanova University is currently presenting Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” as a part of their four-production season. Villanova offers a master’s degree in theatre and exceptional professional opportunities for undergraduates involved in their productions. It also offers an excellent example of the role that faculty can play in shaping theater graduates. This year’s season is composed of Edward Albee’s “Zoo Story,” the current production of “As You Like It,” Euripides’ “Medea” and the Irving Berlin musical, “Annie Get Your Gun.”

The dramatic difference between last year’s Tri-Co Shakespeare bonanza and Villanova’s carefully balanced production schedule is no coincidence. At Swarthmore, honors theater majors (who were responsible for three of last semester’s four Shakespeare plays) stage and participate in two productions of their choosing as honors preparations. They collaborate with other honors students in selecting and preparing the performances. While the students are carefully advised by the theater faculty, the truth is that the scripts performed at Swarthmore are out of the hands of the department.

Villanova’s season, by contrast, is conceived by the faculty using a very specific set of academic and artistic goals. The Villanova Theatre is a member of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and is engaged in the professional theater community of Philadelphia, which undoubtedly contributes to their theater department’s consideration of the season as a whole, but it is not the only reason. Villanova ensures that the performances offer a representative, instructive sample of the theatrical canon.

There is much to be said for each method, with the depth and breadth of the Villanova season providing a critical element of theatrical education, while the individual initiative and the creative support at Swarthmore provide another key to success.

These values are reflected in the productions as well, with Villanova’s productions reliably demonstrating a level of polish that is rarely achieved at Swarthmore, while Swarthmore’s theater students are far more sophisticated in their mastery of theater theory and scholarship and are able to converse at length about any production in which they participate.

However, when it comes to choosing how you want to spend your evening, the choice is clear. Villanova’s current production is a striking, funny and elegant show that is simultaneously accessible and intelligent. The cast is overflowing with talent and the uninspired set is salvaged by the superb costumes, care of two-time Barrymore Award winner Rosemarie McKelvey.

Jessica Bedford and Tim Rinehart as Rosalind and Orlando are outstanding, with chemistry to burn and both have an electrifying presence. Kathryn Lyles, as Celia, and Andy Shaw, as Touchstone, cap off a powerhouse quartet of comedy, pronouncing Shakespeare’s verses “trippingly on the tongue,” and with impressive clarity.

The real star, however, is director Harriet Power, a Villanova professor and active theater professional. Fresh from directing the Act II Playhouse’s runaway hit “Boeing-Boeing,” Power has infused her cast and this play with a youthful, jaunty air that makes this pastoral comedy universally pleasing. More and more, directors play fast and loose with Shakespeare’s verse to make the text seem a little less intimidating to their audiences.

Power, on the other hand, understands that pandering to her audience isn’t the way to make people love the Bard. Instead, Power has focused her energy on developing a group of charming, vivacious characters. What Power understands is that a spirited performance can be understood by anyone and that once the audience likes a character, comprehension will follow.

This “As You Like It” interpetration is more than just likable; it is an inspiring glimpse at the newest generation of stage actors and one can only hope that they stick around Philadelphia after they graduate.

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