Reviews: As You Like It at Chantilly High School
Written by Abby Marroquin of West Springfield High School
In the Forest of Arden, passion burns like a bonfire, trees serve as love letters, and romance is found in every riverbend. Welcome to Chantilly High School's production of As You Like It!
Shakespeare's As You Like It was believed to have been originally written in 1599, however published in the First Folio in 1623. It follows the story of its lead heroine, Rosalind, who after falling in love with a man named Orlando, is banished from the royal duchy to the Forest of Arden- accompanied by her cousin, Celia. Disguising herself as a man, Rosalind and Celia (disguised as a poor girl) attempt to find sanctuary within the forest, and in the midst of it all, discover that Orlando has been searching for Rosalind the entire time. After a few run-ins with an array of eccentric characters, several love triangles, and one giant wedding, Rosalind and Orlando learn that true love is worth the complicated pursuit, no matter what it takes. Although originally set in the French Court, Chantilly High School's modern adaptation transformed Shakespeare's work into a witty, satirical, creative corporate comedy that had the audience howling with laughter until the final bow.
Portraying the sassy leading heroine Rosalind, Elle Galhouse's excellent comedic timing and storytelling capabilities truly stood out amongst the cast of characters. Galhouse's understanding of the text was immediately evident to the audience from the moment she entered the stage, proven countless times in each witty comeback, and was especially clear during comedic misunderstandings with other characters. This was specifically notable when Rosalind was attempting to disarm Phoebe (Khushi Gandhi)'s love for Ganymede- Rosalind's male-persona. Opposing Galhouse as the lovesick Orlando, Isabella Caltagirone gave just as riveting a performance. Caltagirone's intense facial expressions and exceptional diction wonderfully translated to the audience the passion that Orlando had felt for Rosalind. Together, Galhouse and Caltagirone had a mesmerizing amount of chemistry, both comedic and romantic. Especially in scenes between "Ganymede" and Orlando, the comedic beats each actress picked up on not only helped drive the plot forward, but also kept the audience engaged and amused.
Vanguarding the comedy of this show was Daphne Lunn's Celia, whose use of dry humor and consistent comical facial expressions had the audience bursting out laughing multiple times throughout the entirety of the play. Lunn's sarcastic delivery contributed to her impressive range of comedy and never left the audience unengaged. On top of it all, Lunn also had excellent chemistry with Galhouse's Rosalind, and together the two's comedic timing was unmatched, overall portraying a delightfully believable friendship.
Transforming the stage into both an office workspace and a woodsy campground, Peyton Dunham, Lily Fry, and Polina Radu's set immersed the audience into the world of Rosalind and Orlando. Immediately catching the attention of the audience, the set included glowing windows for the office scenes that added a captivating effect to the beginning of the play. Also notable was the giant water tower and camper that added to the depth and atmosphere of the outdoor scenes. Contributing to the cohesiveness of the tech elements was the sound design and execution, operated by Clare Colburn. Truly immersing the audience into the performance, the wildlife ambience provided by sound was the invaluable element that turned Chantilly's auditorium into the Forest of Arden.
As the curtain closed, Chantilly High School's production of Shakespeare's As You Like It had reminded the audience that the greatest love stories contain at least a little bit of satirical adventure. After all, "All the world's a stage," so one might as well give it the performance of their lives!
Written by Naomi Bautista of Fairfax High School
Forget pastoral shepherds; in Chantilly High School's production of As You Like It, the Forest of Arden is a bohemian campground escape from a cutthroat corporate office in a cynical, yet uplifting, take on Shakespeare's comedy.
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, focusing on Rosalind, who flees persecution in her uncle's court, disguises herself as a man, and escapes to the Forest of Arden. There, she orchestrates a series of romantic entanglements and tests her lover, Orlando, in a story exploring love, gender, and societal madness. Chantilly High School's production swaps Shakespeare's courts for a boardroom bureaucracy and forest glades for the playful Camp Arden, creating an upbeat, feel-good atmosphere that tackled complex themes through comedy.
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." except, of course, for Elle Galhouse and Daphne Lunn, who went beyond just "players" to truly become Rosalind and Celia, respectively. Galhouse was wonderfully flighty and flirty as Rosalind, able to skillfully balance tender romance with witty charm when disguised as Ganymede. Her engaging facial expressions and clear diction drew the audience into the mischievous happenings in the forest. The heartfelt chemistry between the actresses was remarkable, whether said aloud or communicated through body language, their sisterly bond was evident. As Rosalind's lively and loyal cousin Celia, Lunn utilized colorful vocal inflection, full of sass and dry snark, skillfully avoiding the trap of reciting the antiquated language. Lunn captured Celia's playful nature with her impeccable comedic timing, making bold physical choices such as climbing into the campground fridge, revitalizing the show even as she was in the background reacting to other character's decisions.
Opposite the loving sister-like-cousins were the rival, bickering brothers, Orlando (Bella Caltagirone) and Oliver (Lin Trinh). Caltagirone's performance was full of the goodness, charm, and intelligence that Oliver was so jealous of. With her awkward facial expressions, passionate declarations of love, and silly bouts of smitten behavior in interactions with Rosalind, Caltagirone prompted plenty of laughs. A stark villain who undergoes a rapid, almost unbelievable transformation, Trinh's Oliver was a polarizing force to be reckoned with. The brothers' early squabbles were resolved after Orlando saved Oliver from a vicious lioness, and Trinh made Oliver's transformation evident by contrasting a stern, poised CEO energy with a cheerful tone and newly bright-eyed grin.
Helping to fully immerse the audience in both the cold corporate environment and the cheerful nature of Arden Camp was the sound design (Claire Colburn), which utilized ambient background noise to bring the show to life. The office was inhabited by city bustle, elevator dings, and phone rings, while the forest ambience was created by the rustle of trees, cricket chirps, and various birdsongs to reflect the time of day. The sound team collaborated closely with the lighting designers (Thaddeus Yong, Sophie Wehmueller) to create a very technically impressive wrestling sequence, with John Cena's walkup blasting and stark, colored lights making the scene feel excitingly high stakes. Lighting also helped to differentiate between the two highly different environments, with harsh glowing LEDS characterizing the office, while soft, subtle green sunlight dappled the campground floor.
At its heart, Chantilly's production shone as a gender-bending celebration of love's ambiguity. As Rosalind proclaims, it is a play to be liked as much as you like it - and there was much to love.