Young Company’s take on Shakespeare’s comedy kicks it back to the 80s with karaoke and gnarly love triangles
Girls just want to have fun—and sometimes, the best fun is had when you’re dressed up as a shepherd and trying to woo the love of your life while living in a forest. Opening February 9, Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It” will take audiences on a wild ride as BYU’s Young Company presents a playful production full of mixed up identities, love triangles and live 80s karaoke.
With the visual design and costumes inspired by Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” music video, this production of Shakespeare’s work aspires to great musi-comedic heights. At certain points in the play, the cast will sing live karaoke of a few iconic Prince songs that will stir audience nostalgia.
“We hope it’ll be a really fun and super high-energy show with music and comedy,” said director Tony Gunn. “It’s been awesome to see these really talented students go for it and embrace the language and embrace the story.”
“As You Like It” follows the tale of Rosalind, the daughter of a duke, as she is exiled to the forest with her friend and cousin Celia. During her time in the woods, Rosalind disguises herself as a man for safety—and to give lessons to her crush, Orlando, on how to woo the love of his life: Rosalind herself.
As audiences see this romantic comedy come to life onstage in all its nostalgic 80s glory, they’ll be able to enjoy the language of Shakespeare while singing along to Prince’s music. But this story isn’t just for Shakespeare fans and 80s kids—Young Company plans to tour this production to local schools and the libraries in Provo and Orem. The company hopes that their take on “As You Like It” will prove a fun and entertaining play for kids and adults alike.
“I see so much value in making a story as complicated and rich as this one accessible to kids,” said Eden Allen, who plays Rosalind. “I hope that in seeing the production [the] kids . . . [will] have a great time with a piece of art that they may have thought that they wouldn’t understand or like.”
Alexa Sandberg, who plays Celia, said that she wants the audience to feel like Shakespeare can be “fun and accessible to people of all ages.”
“I want them to have fun with Shakespeare,” she said.
Throughout the rehearsal process, the cast has focused on developing their characters into realistic people that the audience can empathize with.
“One of the things I really like about this production [is that] . . . nobody’s holding my hand [and] guiding me [on how] this is how the character should be played,” said Parley Lambert, who plays Orlando. “It forces me to be proactive.”
Allen added that for her, “This production has stretched my ability to provide honesty to a role. While I want to bring out the laughs and silliness the play provides, I want to invest as an actress in the reality that Rosalind and the other characters feel throughout the story.”
For Emma Larsen, who plays the roles of Duke Senior and Duke Frederick in the production, this play is about more than just telling a tale of romance and comedy—it’s a celebration of human experience.
“This show, for me at least, feels like a reminder of why we do [theatre]. . . . to celebrate the human experience and the whole variety of feelings that come from [it],” Larsen said. “We’re going to celebrate these fun and beautiful things about the world.”
For an evening of playful romance, comedic mix-ups and 80s nostalgia, “As You Like It” will not disappoint.
For ticket information, visit arts.byu.edu.