Harper director talks about Shakespeare’s relevance
Shakespeare penned “As You Like It,” a romantic comedy for the Elizabethan era, sometime around 1600. More than 400 years later, the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company is bringing it to the stage.
Director Kevin Long says the play, a tale of mistaken identity and misguided affection among a cast of clowns, philosophers and provincials, is as relevant today as it was centuries ago.
Shakespeare’s staying power speaks to his ability to write for and about real people, he says.
We asked Long, a Harper assistant professor, to address the play and its centuries-long popularity.
Q: Give us the two-second summary of “As You Like It.”
A: Banished by Duke Frederick, her throne-usurping uncle, Rosalind, disguised as a boy, seeks refuge in the idyllic Forest of Arden, where her father, Duke Senior, and his loyal followers live in exile.
There she finds her true love, Orlando, whom she instructs on how best to truly love a woman. This play has love, laughter, song, dance and some, at-times, bawdy humor. It’s Shakespeare’s more glorious romantic comedy, and it really does have something for everyone — so everyone should “like it.”
Q: How many actors are involved with the production?
A: We have 19 in the show: 10 students, eight community members and a special appearance by the Harper president, Dr. Ken Ender. He’s playing Sir Oliver Martext in two performances of the play.
Q: Shakespeare penned his plays in the 1500s and 1600s. What about this one is still relevant?
A: Times are hard right now. People are struggling, and this play’s characters are also struggling — but life and love continue even through the hard times.
Through this play, Shakespeare shows us it’s his grand hope that everything will turn out just fine in the end. That’s why this play is still relevant, and that’s why Shakespeare has survived the test of time.
We can all use a good human comedy to bolster our minds and fill our hearts and souls. Laughter and love are great cures for weariness and stress. So, in our cold social media vs. true human interaction world, we can learn some lessons from these characters: Slow down and find a place outside of the stressful world where you can find true balance.
Q: “As You Like It” is considered a comedy. How does that humor translate centuries later?
A: Our cast has spent an extensive amount of time analyzing and delving into the text to make it as clear as possible to audiences today, so our hope is that you will truly understand the humor and the essence of the play.
We look at it like this: Shakespeare’s characters are normal human beings who just happen to speak well. We’ve honored the verse structure, but it shouldn’t sound like we are “speaking Shakespeare.” It will take your ear a few minutes to get used to it, but it should be understood and enjoyed by all.
Q: Have you done anything to modernize the performance?
A: We are setting the play in 1600. Our concept is stylized renaissance. I think if you start taking the plays too far away from the time they were written, you lose the true sense of the play as well as the intricate relationships that existed then. They work the way they are.
Q: Do you think any current big-time hit will have that kind of staying power?
A: I’m a huge Stephen Sondheim fan. He is the Shakespeare of our time. I’ve directed several of his shows, including “Into the Woods” twice. I continue to discover more depth in his work each time I revisit it. It’s exactly like Shakespeare. Nothing is out of place; everything is needed.
If you go
What: As You Like It
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, March 16-25
Coffee with the director: 1 p.m. Sundays, March 18, 25
Where: Harper College Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine
Tickets: $15; (847) 925-6100 or <a href="http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/arts/boxoffice.php">harpercollege.edu/boxoffice</a>