As You Like It on the grounds of Mayslake Peabody Mansion provides an immersive night of modern Shakespeare. With the comedic (and sometimes tragic) skill of its actors and director Skyler Schrempp, the performance excellently captures the lively wit of Shakespeare’s classic. Especially notable are performances by leads Nicholas Harazin and Leslie Ann Sheppard (Orlando and Rosalind, respectively) as well as Kevin McKillip (Jacques) who began his career as a professional clown. The costuming (done by Mieka van der Ploeg) accompanied by the fluidity of gender among characters help to modernize the piece, allowing audiences to embrace the richness of Shakespeare without losing their sense of place. As characters dance around and sing together, trick each other, and write love sonnets that they subsequently make fun of, audiences are never once disconnected from the intricacies of the story.
