As You Like It (Classic Stage Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (139)
See it if You want to see a lightweight version of the Shakespeare classic.
Don't see it if You don't like to see Shakespeare cut down to bare bones.
See it if you love the play, Ellen Burstyn, André De Shields or you want to see an outstanding performance from Hannah Cabell.
Don't see it if you are looking for some interesting insight into the text or any particularly interesting staging
See it if you enjoy traditional Shakespeare with a dash of original music added.
Don't see it if you saw the Central Park production and want to compare them, this production pales in comparison
See it if You already know the plot - otherwise, this pared down version is difficult to follow. If you want to see a different interpretation.
Don't see it if You are expecting a great new interpretation of the beloved play [it isn't] or you are going to see Ellen Burstyn [she barely has a role]
See it if you enjoy seeing all the different things that directors can do to Shakespeare to improve it and "make it relevant", such as excessive cuts.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy seeing good actors who have apparently been instructed to downplay the text, many of them wearing dreadful costumes. Read more
See it if you must catch every Shakespeare play every time 1 comes around, for a great performance by Hannah Cabell, enjoy suggestive staging by lamps
Don't see it if you want Shakespeare uncut, prefer a realistic Arden, want to see some ardor between Orlando/Rosalind, confused by diverse casting Read more
See it if You already know and love this play. I admit I have a hard time sometimes with Shakespeare but I think I would get more w/better direction.
Don't see it if You don’t already know this play. The minimalist approach (again!) makes it very hard to decipher what’s going on. Read more
See it if you want a quick summary of the classic.
Don't see it if you are expecting great Shakespearean actors. Some in the cast are good but others are not. Read more
Critic Reviews (38)
"A fun production...The entire cast is truly top-notch as is the clever creative team...Bay Street's presentation of Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' is certainly another hit...A hilarious story and phenomenal cast make for an entertaining night of theatre."
Read more
“Doyle pares the play to its essentials, focusing on its four intertwined love stories…Ultimately, the actors make it all work, many playing instruments, a Doyle signature. As Rosalind, one of the Bard’s most revered heroines, Cabell is especially convincing when, dressed as a man, she moves the story along to its eventual happy ending. De Shields is a wry, witty Touchstone…Burstyn offers a masterclass in making the most of a part that’s, well, not the lead.”
Read more
“'As You Like It' is a wonderful play so that, even with this disappointing production, it’s not a wasted evening. The language is so powerful and some of the scenes so funny that they surpass the flat interpretations they receive here, and in particular two actors—André de Shields and Leenya Rideout–are satisfyingly perfect! But all in all, this is an 'As You Like It' without enchantment."
Read more
“Exciting and visionary. Visionary because the production transforms and propels Shakespeare's words into a thrilling new dimension of interpretation. This production gives American energy to Shakespeare's words in a dynamic new form...It is without doubt Shakespeare as never before produced…Once again John Doyle shows his genius as a director and with the scenic design...Cabell commands your attention and is fantastic as the creative glue that makes this production successful.”
Read more
“This innovative and entertaining production is ambitious in scope, as it tries to transcend race, gender, stereotypes, and time itself…Hannah Cabell…is an energetic and likable Rosalind…André De Shields as Touchstone, the clown, is a comedic wonder onstage…‘As You Like It’ overflows with songs, music, lyricism, love, and laughter—who could ask for anything more!”
Read more
“Scatliffe is everything you want in a Shakespearean lover…Cabell, as the object of Orlando's affection, Rosalind, is Mr. Scatliffe’s theatrical match par for par…Ms. Burstyn is so downbeat it feels that, while she wears the costume, she merely is walking through the part...Shakespeare may have invented the rom-com, with all of hot love’s many snags and hitches, and his ever-knowing eye was always on the necessary happy ending between lovers. And thus we exit smiling.”
Read more