If you could mash up two great artists and make it a memorable musical, would you do it? That is precisely what Daryl Cloran and Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival (Vancouver) did, mashing up As You Like It, Shakespeare’s 400-year-old comedy, and 23 Beatles tunes. This musical comedy set in the 1960s Okanagan Valley combines about fifty percent of the Bard’s prose with 20th-century Beatles lyrics to move the plot along.
The first in the subscription series, The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, begins its 2024-2025 season with a winner of talented singers, dancers, and a very groovy set. The band plays tucked away upstage (I would have loved to have seen more of these versatile musicians/dancers/actors). The colorful set and groovy costumes easily place the theatergoer in a different era.
“I can’t think of a more natural fit than Shakespeare and The Beatles,” says Grand Theatre Artistic Director Rachel Peake. “Both innovative artists, whose works have stood the test of time and continue to resonate across generations, [Shakespeare and The Beatles] are revealed to us in an exciting new light with As You Like It.”
When you go, get there early to enjoy 20 minutes of pre-show entertainment—a wrestling match. We understood the assignment, as many others did, and arrived to see the antics unfold. Tyler Check was hilarious as one of the wrestlers (besides being a band member throughout the performance). It was great to see one of the stars of last year’s very successful Million Dollar Quartet. I would have loved to have seen him as the lead!
That part—Orlando de Boys—went to Jeff Irving, who was making his Grand Theatre debut. He’s better known as the lead in The Citadel Theatre’s production of As You Like It, plus many other Shaw Festival and regional theatre productions.
Rosalind, Orlando’s love interest, was played by Daniela Fernandez, who also made her Grand Theatre debut. She sang with confidence and had a significant presence on stage. The Latin-Canadian talent has cut her teeth in productions at the Citadel (Edmonton), the Arts Club (Vancouver), and Theatre Calgary. It’s a pleasure to see Ms. Fernandez in her Eastern Canada debut. I hope to see her in other productions at The Grand Theatre or the Stratford Festival.
A big shout out to Ben Elliott as Silvius—his over-the-top portrayal of a lovesick hippy was genius. You usually find him working as the Music Director/Supervisor, but we were lucky enough to have him at the performance last Friday night (he was a stand-in for Anton Lipovetsky).
Grand audiences will be treated to the multi-talents of an ensemble cast consisting of company members both original to, and new to this production of As You Like It. Local audiences will recognize familiar faces, such as Jan Alexandra Smith as Jaques/Le Beau (who brilliantly directed last year’s Chrismas show Charlie and The Chocolate Factory).
This production of As You Like It brings together a talented cast from London, Ontario, and previous productions. This is the ninth iteration since its debut in 2018 at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver. The depth of actors, musicians, and dancers made this production fun to watch (and sing along to). The audience was engaged and enjoyed both the buffoonery and the music.
“Often in musicals, you talk about actors being ‘triple-threats’, meaning they can sing, dance, and act,” explains Director and Co-Adaptor, Daryl Cloran. “In As You Like It, we need quadruple, and sometimes quintuple threats, because not only do they have to be great at Shakespeare, great singers, musicians, and great dancers, but a number of them have to be great wrestlers as well. The virtuosity on display by these actors is amazing.”
The magical mystery mash-up plays from October 15 to November 2 on the Grand’s historic Spriet Stage.
IF YOU GO
When: October 15 – November 2nd – Opening night October 18th
Price: Single tickets range from $24 – $96 (subject to availability)
Where: The Grand Theatre Spriet Stage, Grand Theatre, London, ON
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.
Tea Talk: Join Creative Director Rachel Peake and special guests for a conversation pre-show. Tea Talks begin at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30th, before the 1:00 p.m. matinée.
Open Caption Performance: will be presented on Saturday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m.
AfterWORDS: On select Wednesday evenings, immediately after the performance, join host Breanne Ritchie in the theatre’s lounge for a brief guided discussion with guest artists, creative team members, and Grand staff members.
- Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 – Featuring Anton Lipovetsky & Alexandra Lainfiesta
- Wednesday, Oct 23, 2024 – Featuring Daniela Fernandez & Naomi Ngebulana
- Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 – Featuring Jan Alexandra Smith & Jennifer Copping
Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.