As You Like It (Classic Stage Company)
Closed 1h 40m
As You Like It (Classic Stage Company)
75

As You Like It (Classic Stage Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%
(139 Ratings)
Positive
78%
Mixed
16%
Negative
6%
Members say
Entertaining, Great acting, Delightful, Clever, Disappointing

About the Show

The Bay Street Theater cast reprise their roles in John Doyle's music-infused production of Shakespeare's pastoral romance at Classic Stage Company. Featuring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (139)

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416 Reviews | 66 Followers
84
Great acting, Entertaining, Clever, Quirky

See it if you know the play and want to see a delightful & concise version with a very talented cast.

Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare or you love complete Shakespeare or you hate concepts.

85 Reviews | 24 Followers
80
Delightful, Entertaining, Intelligent

See it if you love Shakespeare and want to see an entertaining interpretation of one of his best plays, complete with music!

Don't see it if you need big staging. The CSC is a great, intimate theater where the audience is a part of the performance.

100 Reviews | 9 Followers
80
Clever, Great acting, Delightful

See it if because of the actors, the ideas, the chances it takes

Don't see it if you aren't willing to take chances with Shakespeare's works

232 Reviews | 43 Followers
80
Moving, Sweet, Playful, Intimate, Satisfying

See it if your autograph book needs signatures from legends Andre De Shields and Ellyn Burstyn (plus an anticipatory one from Quincy Tyler Bernstine).

Don't see it if you're going to compare it to the BAM production starring Rebecca Hall who gave the most emotionally real take on Rosalind I've ever seen.

55 Reviews | 6 Followers
80
Clever, Refreshing, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy John Doyle direction and scenic design. Starts slow but really got into it. Enjoyed Stephen Schwartz music. Really liked staging

Don't see it if you are not interested in a different way of seeing Shakespeare.

273 Reviews | 36 Followers
80
Ambitious, Entertaining, Clever

See it if You are looking for a unique theater experience. It was hard to follow, but a talented cast with an interesting musical twist to a classic

Don't see it if You want traditional Shakespeare

100 Reviews | 50 Followers
80
Absorbing, Enchanting, Slow

See it if you are interested in new interpretations.

Don't see it if you want a ton of Burstyn

428 Reviews | 53 Followers
79
Banal

See it if Ellen Burstyn within a few feet. Hard-acting, dedicated actors.

Don't see it if Looking for revelatory, masterclass theater.

Critic Reviews (38)

Lighting & Sound America
October 11th, 2017

"The production is filled with likable talents, none of them doing their best work...Still, the most notable thing about all of them is their rushed approach to the dialogue...The more breathless the action, the slower this 'As You Like It' seems. Because it never gives us a minute to relax and get to know the characters, it's all too easy to tune out and simply mark time...This is the least enchanting 'As You Like It' I've ever seen."
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Talkin' Broadway
September 28th, 2017

"A frustrating amalgam of beautiful visual images that are undermined by the cast's inconsistent delivery of the text...The reason the show falls short is both simple, yet surprising: the cast's delivery of Shakespeare's text lacks both clarity and volume...Schwartz's jazz-inflected songs...are quite lovely but they don't feel integrated into Doyle's overall vision of the show...While Doyle's directorial approach is simple and unfussy, the cast all seem to be in different productions vocally."
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Theater News Online
September 29th, 2017

"At its best, director-designer Doyle’s production conjures moments of giddy awe that approximate the sense of being a child at play in a forest...Such a genial, organic approach has its pluses and minuses: You gain intimacy and emotional delicacy, and lose some of the drive and anarchic wit. Still, Cabell makes for one of the brightest and pluckiest Rosalinds I’ve seen in years. She’s countered amusingly by Quincy Tyler Bernstine’s Celia."
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TheaterScene.net
October 2nd, 2017

“While the early parts of the play seem a bit rushed from all the cuts, once the play moves to the Forest of Arden it settles down into a stable comic rhythm. Performed without an intermission, John Doyle's production moves swiftly and ends on a happy, upbeat note. This pared-down Shakespeare seems to be the current new trend, not to all minds, but offering pleasures of its own. The Stephen Schwartz song settings turn this into almost a full-fledged musical comedy.”
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CurtainUp
September 28th, 2017

"The play's essential pleasures are unharmed by all the text and character cuts...Hannah Cabell is a terrifically engaging Rosalind...Overall, the whole closely knit ensemble is fun to watch...If I had to pick a single standout from all these excellent performers, I wouldn't hesitate for a minute: He may be older than most Touchstones but I can't recall seeing a more memorable one than song and dance veteran André De Shields."
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Theater Pizzazz
September 29th, 2017

"A lighthearted romp that forgoes some of the heavier political and personal grievances that chased the main characters into the forest in the first place...Schwartz’s catchy jazz melodies...take the often scene-stalling 'songs' that are already in the play and extend them out much further to practical effect...De Shields’ performance is both magical and uproariously funny...Burstyn’s delivery is revolutionary...A satisfyingly full production that almost feels like a terrifically fun musical."
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Front Row Center
September 30th, 2017

"Burstyn’s understated, precise performance delivers a riveting lesson in dramatic economy, simplicity, and truthfulness...There are a number of other moments during the course of 'As You Like It' that rise to almost the same performance level. But these moments are few and far between, and they do not channel Shakespeare as profoundly, or quite so effortlessly...This 'As You Like It' is reduced to a distillation of itself; more the idea of 'As You Like It' than the actual play."
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Stage Buddy
September 28th, 2017

"Doyle has put the emphasis in William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy on imagination, music and the actor-audience relationship...Although I missed some scenes, dialogue and characters that were cut, there are many delightful additions, such as the way the country bumpkin William was cast from the audience and the way Orlando’s bad poetry was smartly musicalized. Kudos to Mr. Doyle for shaking any cobwebs off of 'As You Like It' and giving us a vibrant new rendering of a classic."
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