As You Like It

Attic Theatre Company
St George's College, Crawley
dir. Stephen Lee

Firstly, I will confess that some will think me biased as I have worked with the director several times before and, in fact, appeared in Attic Theatre's last production of The Christmas Carol. However, I believe that such good work as this deserves bigger audiences than it is getting and that I would like to encourage others to go along.

The venue is truly beautiful - something that I couldn't really appreciate as a performer, but as an audience member it was the best setting for Shakespeare that I have ever seen in Perth! Wonderful atmosphere!
Unlike some other outdoor venues, I was able to see and hear everything perfectly clearly (particularily useful when following Shakespeare!).

Stephen Lee uses the venue to its best advantage with actors entering from every direction, appearing out of turret windows, up trees and even jumping off high walls (hope they have insurance!)

The costumes, props and lighting were all perfect (except Celia's Little Bo Beep number which seemed out of period with the rest of the play).
Maybe its relevance escaped me?

The play is set in "an imaginary Australia" in modern times and works well.

Special mention must be given to the band of singers (Nicholas Cornish, Rebecca Mansfield, Danielle O'Malley and Ama Joan Quin) who entertained us before and throughout the show - its been a long time since I have heard such fabulous voices and harmonies in a theatrical performance! Listening to them alone is worth the ticket price.

The acting is generally of a high standard, but there were some knock-out performances for me. Firstly, Renato Fabretti as Orlando was outstanding. The minute he walks onstage one is struck with his presence, charisma and talent (it also helps that he is so bloody good looking!). I predict this young man has a very bright acting career ahead of him!
Fern Vallesi as Phebe and Scott Sheridan as Silvius were hilarious and slightly bizarre - I really enjoyed their performances and comic timing!
I think Scott is another young talent to watch out for and Fern is definitely an actress whose talent should be recognized far more than it is.
I also enjoyed Liam Ryan as Touchstone who is obviously a young man gifted with natural comic ability! (although I think he could afford to watch his diction at times.)
Shirley Van Sanden was wonderful both as the Joan Crawford like bitch, Duchess Frederick and as the gormless Audrey.
Graham Mitchell was charming as the evil brother Oliver who "comes good in the end".
The stand out scene for me was Jaques' (played by Dan Luxton) famous "seven ages of man" speech - the combination of Dan's wonderful rendition, Tom Rees' portrayal of the frail old faithful servant, Adam, at the point of starvation, the music and the ensemble acting brought me to tears (something I was not expecting in a comedy). I found it very moving and poignant - but this may only be appreciated by those of us going through "mid-life crisis"!
Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening and I feel as this play "tightens up" and the actors relax into their parts it will develop into one of the best Shakespearian productions this town has seen.
Congratulations to everyone involved.

Angelique Malcolm

We went to see it last night (Saturday 8 Jan) and loved it. We couldn't agree more about the setting. It was so pleasant to sit in that idyllic surrounding, sipping a glass of wine and watching a very good all round performance by the cast. The feel of the setting could be aptly described as intimate. It was like someone invited you into their backyard to watch a play.

The production itself was entertaining and amusing. We particularly liked the contrasting comic style of the 'high-energy' Liam Ryan as Touchstone and the laid-back delivery of Dan Luxton as Jaques. Julie Burns also brought just the right characterisation to the role of Celia. The musician/singers added a real bonus to the evening. Well done to Stephen Lee (Director) and the cast and crew.

Oh, I liked it alright!!

Well done again to Stephen and his cast and crew for another glorious evening under the stars!!

This idealic setting and gorgeous building is utilised to even greater effect in this production. The lighting and music add delicious icing to an already scrummy cake! After having suffered through many a diabolical local "moosickal", I was almost surprised at the flawless harmonies of this very talented wandering troupe of musos.

The cast did very well in maintaining the vast amounts of energy required for this play. If there was a line fluff or missed cue, I didn't pick it. The pace was terrific.

Extra special kudos to a few of the cast. I completely agree with Angelique with regards to Dan Luxton's "seven ages of man" speech. It's worth going if only for this! It was stunning and the way it was concluded also had me in tears. Just wonderful! Scott Sheridan's "Silvius" is too funny! (I meant to ask him afterwars if he is a huge Jerry Lewis fan...) Liam Ryan's "Touchstone" has to be seen to be believed. Bloody AWEsome!! And I can only hope we see much more of Mr Renato Fabretti. MUCH more.....

*ahem*

Oh!! And C. Edwards in a bright red, skintight, lycra wrestling outfit?? Awww, you BETcha!!

This is a lovely, clever and very interesting translation of a well known story and a beautiful evening out for all!!

Congradulations Steve and gang!! Can't WAIT for the next one!!

J x

Attic Theatre
As You Like It
Director Stephen Lee
Perf: Friday, 14 January 2005

Attic Theatre has found itself a beautiful home in St George's College, and when I first entered I was at first confronted by the fact that they had spun the audience around from the seating layout they used in Christmas Carrol. An odd choice, I thought at the time, but one which overall worked for the show.

Due to my policy of not buying programs, I did not buy a program, so sorry for some mis-accreditations

After enjoying a light dinner at dusk, the band struck up. The guitarist and three vocalists performed a range of pop tunes and set mood for the piece.

A LOT OF NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Renato Fabretti as Orlando allowed his natural charisma, big voice and undeniable presence carry him through this play. He was the foundation upon which the play was built, and carried off this task with great aplomb. He was especially good in his more serious scenes as the romantic lead. Just stay away from the media Renato, they'll mess you up.

In my opinion the hardest role in the piece is that of Rosalind. Lucy Waldron-Brown did excellently in this role. As Rosalind she was quite the picture of female modesty. It was well-judged and easy to sympathise with. Ganymede she struggled with slightly. This I think was as least partly the fault of the costume. Her thick moustache and cocky's outfit, made me think farmer in his mid-thirties, which was at odds with her more feminine delivery and references to her youth. As a result her ruse with Orlando seemed hard to swallow. But her clear and earnest delivery carried through.

Kim Martin showed his great variety and skill in several parts. It is a testament to his performance that he was totally believable in each of his disparate roles. Well done!

Dan Luxton's laid back delivery was a pleasure to watch. Dealing with Shakespeare's bawdier moments with great skill, always making them fun without being crass (or at least too crass). His true talent was in wringing the truth out of some very poignant lines. The end of his "All the World's a Stage" speech was so moving, all the more because of the comedy preceding it. And to unselfishly hand over the end of a speech like that to another actor was spectacular. Which brings me to...

Tom Rees as Adam, was marvellous. You cannot help but sympathise with Tom, and this was no exception. Another spot on performance.

Liam Ryan can't not be funny. He hit the stage running (well, OK limping) in this piece, and had the presence to carry it through to the end. Liam with Touchstone was like a pig in a @!#$ store. His physical comedy brightened every scene he was in, and while threatening to, never interfered with others performance (but it was close). My only remark to Liam would be to watch the gabbling (he knows what I'm talking about).

Craig Edwards was handed comedy on a plate by his director and Merry Ford. I mean a bright red leotard mask a cape? A neck brace? As Jerry Seinfeld knows, you can't look at someone in a neckbrace without laughing immediately. Given that, Craig added several layers of extra spicy ham to the role, and it was hilarious to watch. That said, he was another that handled several roles very well. His fight choreography as great as well, with a totally believable wrestle, at least from my seat.

Scott Sheridan also handled several roles very well, but was best as Silvius (as you'd expect). Silvius could have been so annoying but always just remained at the edge of irritation. Again though, Scott's diction when dealing with a voice that is not naturally his own needs to be worked on.

Shirley van Sanden vamped it up tremendously as the Duchess, but I have to say she did tip into the annoying as Audrey. The duchess had great power and presence, and a handsome American accent that brought Dynasty to mind for some reason. However, there is always the danger when playing an annoying character to highlight every annoying thing they could do (see Rik Mayall - entire career) .

Unfortunately the same can be said for Fern Vallessi. In Fern's case, it would be nice to see a more laudible side of her character, in order that the audience actually want Silvius to succeed, rather than feeling like he got screwed by Cupid.

Graham Mitchell was solid as Orlando's (initially) wicked elder brother. His puppet show was great, and he moved through a huge character arc with great judgment.

Julie Burns (hope I got that right), was a lot of fun and absolutely gorgeous (hey, if the girls can drool over Renato why not us boys). One thing I did think was that her first entrance was a little underdone. It was a great idea doing the walkman/Justin Timberlake enterance, but it would have been more effective if she could have been even bubblier for the first ten seconds or so on stage. But she was very solid, and had great personality.

THE SETTING

One gripe I must make about the show is the setting. It is clearly set in Australia, urban at first, moving to the country. In no specific, but definitely modern time period. This non-specific time period/pastiche idea is great, as Comedy of Errors by Bell Shakespeare showed. But on this occassion it fell flat.

Australia is a country that has gone through enormous change over 50 years, and suffered from enormous cultural cringe in that time. It jarred with me that a play that had WWF style wrestling, early nineties torn jeans, mobiles and so forth also had an old-time bush band, akubra's and broad okker accents. Celia's old timey dress was at odds with Rosalind's flannel and Tochstone 'snappy' suit.

I thought Stephen could have placed his setting more specifically, or made it far wider. He could've thrown in some Priscilla style drag queens (the Duke for instance), cocktails could have been exchanged for beer, and there could even have been some ethnic characters. Also, he could also have played the friction between city-siders and ruralists more fiercely.

That may be my own bias, and I guess it can sometimes be luck of the draw with pastiche. But I think Stephen may have done well to get a few different Australian's point of view on the setting and stereotypes.

MUSIC

I hate songs in plays. So I was very surprised that I found myself smiling and almost humming along with some of Craig William's Australiana. It was well written and well performed. Good work.

However, I hate songs in plays, and thought that some of the musical interludes could easily be chucked. I think songs tend to break up the flow of the play, and distract the audience, and that was the case here. Plus theatrical songs are naff. But that is just me, and I know a three billion people disagree with me. So I'll leave that there.

THE SCRIPT (spoilers included)

I only have one minor thing to say. The ending was wierd. Silvius seemed really nice, so why did he have to end up with the witch. I know that Shakepeare likes everyone to get married or die at the end of his plays, but I thought it would've been preferable for Silvius to 'wise up' and kick that skank to the curb. Sometimes learning to fall out of love is as important as falling in love.

The ending seemed a bit convenient for my likes. I think the playwright needs to take a bit of a look at his themes and sort out his views on love, if he is going to have any sort of career.

THE SHOW AS A WHOLE

As I have said the performances were almost universally great. Stephen has a wonderful imagination, and he comes up with such inventive "business". His 'clock gag' (you'll see) was hilarious. The mobile was a great idea and having Renato push the bounds of Attic's insurance policy, by flinging himself off walls, climbing trees and wrestling Craig excited me greatly. He uses the space very effectively as well. I thought holing the play up in front of a brick wall was a silly ida at first, but was proved very wrong with action coming from all directions.

One fault I found was the scene where Tom plays most of his lines from behind the audience went too long. In my opinion it broke the attention of the audience and made things a touch uncomfortable. When Renato followed him offstage, that really pushed it a bit too far. I lost a bit of the plot at that point, because it was a bit distracting.

The most important critism I have of the play is that while the actors performed they're own parts tremendously, the chemistry between actors often seemed slightly lacking. I didn't feel Orlando's passion for Rosalind, because somewhere the two great performances didn't link together. I don't think a jingle is enough to convey to an audience that two people have fallen in love.

Similarly, the hatred between the brother's seemed a little out of nowhere. But that might have just been the night I came on, It's a hell of a way to start a show (with a blazing shower of rage and terracotta).

I will note though, that Dan Luxton did have several moments where the engagement between himself and other characters was very palpable.

One of Stephen's great strengths is his ability to create 'moments'. And there were many moments in this play. Orlando shares some good moments with Adam, and Kim Martin wonderful charisma played well with Dan Luxton's fool. Lots of comedy was added to the script and they play's pace and energy was superb. Shakespeare can be agonising if you don't have the play flowing, and this flowed so superbly I didn't notice time slide by at all.

CONCLUSION

The play is great, go see it. Stephen, as always, has imbued the piece with a tremendous deal of fun, and I will be stealing ideas from this play for many a year to come. The actor's acquit themselves very well and I'd love to hear what others think of the setting.

Well done Stephen et al.

I took 9yr olds to 14 yr olds mixed sexes. A tribe.

They are still talking about it.

We were all very impressed with the depth of talent and the sense of exuberance and audience connection. Our mob laughed at all the right places, went aaahhh at the right places and a had a thoroughly rollicking good time. This play was originally performed with people eating and drinking and walking around. It is NOT an intellectually arid exercise. Jeez guys youse were grouse. We so enjoyed it.

We sang all the way home. Isnt that what Shakespeare is about? Consummate entertainment for all?

keep it up attic...oh yes we have been begged to take them to Kings park as well...and we are going!

What about the Merchant then? please?

As You Like It: A Rambling Review by Alicia Smith

Well I'm going to stand by my  earlier reviews of anything to do with Stephen Lee. Masterful and well worth the view. It was the last night tonight (Friday 21st of January) and what a performance we were treated to. Wow! Privilege to see.

Oh and to those people who were wondering about the species of owl that sat in view of the picnickers, (us amongst them) it was a Southern Boobook - the one that actually makes the 'mopoke' sound - not the frogmouths as most think. Ahem. Back to the review.

The setting was lovely, the audience convivial and the weather pleasant if a little coolish. Quite a big audience, all the seats were taken and a lot of the grass was too!

I've not seen this play before, but this production was really accessible, funny, fast paced and held my interest throughout this light hearted comedy.  This is Shakespeare! No, really. But it's probably the one that's most understandable and watchable for anyone who hasn't seen one before. At least as directed by Stephen Lee with the assistance of Anna Bennetts.

Getting the down side over, the people behind us talked constantly throughout the production, darn it. That's my only complaint, people who seem to think that just because you're outside, it means you can talk. The actors have to deal with carrying their voices over wind, fireworks, traffic, airplanes and car alarms, you'd think people would have the courtesy to keep quiet. Sheesh! Just plain rude.

Nick Cornish, Rebecca Mansfield, Danielle O'Malley and Ama Joan Quin were very entertaining, lovely harmonies lilting us into the play and keeping us well entertained throughout. Really lovely voices. Good work folks! The music was really catchy too - if there's a cd coming out I'd be interested! Craig Williams did the original music, and it's great! CD! CD! Stephen announced the name of the band, but it escapes me, sorry.

I loved the costumes, they were really nicely designed, particularly the two bridal gowns at the end, very well taylored, and well suited to their wearers characters - well done Merri Ford for that. And the wrestling costume was a hoot. Touchstone was also spiffy!
The combination of nerd/shepherd for Silvius was very well done.

Super light and sound - can't be faulted, all on cue. All due to some hard thinking by  Aaron Stirk and Alan Green and techied by Ben Russell and Daniel Allen. Went off without a hitch.

Stage wrangling was done, well, it was actually so well done that I didn't notice it happening! Now that's stage wrangling and it's due to the great management of Danielle Billings, Sarah McKellar, Michelle Nussey and Ben Russell again.

During the performance people were coming from everywhere, trees, walls, balconies, but never so fast that it was bewildering. A lot of fun and very dynamic.

Another really cool thing is the way Mr Lee blends the border between performance and audience. The picnic scene in the forest of Arden seemed a natural extension of the picnickers in the front row, it's a very powerful smearing of reality and fantasy. Very subtle this time, definitely a contrast to his unforgettable opening scene of The Taming of the Shrew.

The setting in contemporary Australia in a military dictatorship under the evil Duchess (played superbly and with just the right restraint by Shirley Van Sanden) was very cool. I appreciate the background and explanation that Stephen gives us in our programs, it's really helpful and puts the play in context. Very interesting too, and well written. (oo! colour this time, woo-hoo!) So in the end, Stephen has ended up a teacher! :-)

Energetic performances - memorable scenes: The Duke (the redoubtable Kim Marten very regally) in the forest and his court looking after with great tenderness and sympathy the old servant (Tom Rees who commanded our sympathy and respect for his character) and his master (Renato Fabretti, who's variety of passions, energy and expressions never wavered). "Awwww." we thought. "Awwww, that's really nice"

The evil Duchess stubbing out her cigarette "Then more villain you!" Owwww! (we next see her victim, Oliver (played with both villainy and empathy by Graham Mitchell), sporting an eyepatch) 

Graham Mitchell and his use of puppets, to demonstrate a deadly fight - see snakes, lions, mortal peril and some superb whistling!

Oh! The wrestling match, complete with ring. Now, that was well done! Both the ring and the wrestle - Craig Edwards and Renato executing some smooth and dramatic moves!

A very unique 7 ages of man speech too! Touchstone was given a brilliant polish by  Liam Ryan.

A very shocked hero recovering from his kiss from the moustachioed "Rosalind" (Lucy Waldron-Brown, playing capably, intellegently and with a flourish!)

Rosalind trying to variously help Corin (Kim Martin), the wonderful old shepherd put up a sign, and later, trying to open a bottle of beer.

Audrey (Shirley Van Sanden -this role could have been over acted, but Shirley played her with temperance and just the right amount of unselfconscious humour) and Touchstone...

Silvius (Scott Sheridan - the audience winced with him) and Phebe (Fern Vellesi, playing this suprisingly demanding role fine and fast...and then slow...and then fast again on her rollercoaster of her character's emotions.)

Look, it was all great, funny and smooth and really a huge and super job was done by everyone. All of you. If I haven't mentioned you by name it's because it's now 01:11 on Saturday morning. You all deserve a very big pat on the back. And standing ovations, and stuff.

I just hope Mr Lee looks after himself. He's set himself a lot of work to  be doing, and I'd sure hate to see him burn himself out!  Take care of yourself, we want to be watching Attic years and years from now.

I'm kicking myself for missing A Christmas Carol.

I must see The Real Inspector Hound now! Opens 3rd of February. Not much of a rest for the Attic Theatre cast and crew... Take it easy folks, you deserve it bigtime.

Thanks for a great evening out!

This review is also at

http://www.lympago.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b=playreview,m=1106329525,s=0

-leece
http://www.lympago.com/leece/leece.shtml


Thou infectious clay-brained wagtail!

Amiens: What's That Ducdame?
Jacques: 'tis a Greek invocation to call fools into a circle.

I suggested the name of the band, just as Nick was about to suggest the same - good name for a band huh?

thanks for your support

Dan Luxton
Jacques
As You Like It
Attic Theatre Company
Jan 05

AND soon to be seen as Don Juan in Margaret River at Voyager Estate. The production is an adaptation of Moliere’s Don Juan. (running time approx 60-70 mins). It has been adapted as a “dinner” show for Voyager Estate’s dining room (capacity 80) - this venue because its ambience (decadent and sumptuous) perfectly suits Don Juan.
Performances (Fri/Sat) for the following two weekends: 6th/7th & 13th/14th May plus a one-hour lunch time performance of Commedia style lazzi (slapstick routines) which will be developed from the play itself.
It is the aim of the newly formed Margaret River based company (Noble Rot) to provide accessible quality theatre outside of traditional theatre spaces.