As You Like It sparks love and lust

Drum-heavy pop music sends a squirrel scurrying up a tree at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival in the forested Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park.

Hundreds of jovial theatregoers amass once again to enjoy an evening of outdoor theatre. After last year’s collapse of the canopy that derailed the festival, As You Like It is a delightful choice.

This pastoral production is a witty, affectionate look at love and loss with a series of undercurrents that touch on philosophy, cross-dressing and the homoerotic.

Although not considered one of the Bard’s greatest plays, As You Like It is very relevant today, especially with the historic United States Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage.

However, artistic director Marianne Copithorne wisely goes for pure entertainment and keeps the pace moving at a good clip.

Although the plot mainly revolves around the convoluted romance between the love-struck Rosalind (Mary Hulbert) and Orlando (Andrew MacDonald-Smith), Copithorne has shaped an ensemble of standout individual performances.

Rosalind’s initial scenes with Orlando have a rom-com vibe that blends sweetness with embarrassed nervousness. But things change after Rosalind is banished from her uncle’s court to the Arden Forest.

Choosing to disguise herself as Ganymede, a young man, she deepens her voice and swaggers at different turns. Hulbert captures a certain Katherine Hepburn style of authority that leaves you in no doubt who really wears the doublet and hose in this relationship.

MacDonald-Smith is a terrific character actor and as Orlando he is not your typical leading man. However, MacDonald-Smith infuses his role with numerous comic twists that deliver a fresh perspective on unrequited love.

Ryan Parker’s Touchstone is appropriately a street-wise sharp shooter who knows how to charm Audrey (Morgan Donald) the shepherdess.

Farren Timoteo succeeded in creating numerous ripples of laughter as Silvius, the distraught shepherd in love with the buxom Phebe (Nancy McAlear) who in turn is infatuated with Ganymede.

And Ashley Wright as the melancholy Jaques, provided just the right cynicism to the happy characters around him. And he eloquently delivered the famous “All the World’s a stage” speech with just the right amount of heft.

John Ullyatt as Le Beau, an effeminate courtier, is a crack actor that creates a memorable role despite being on stage only about 10 minutes. Eyeballs were glued to his exaggerated mincing steps and handkerchief waves that had the audience tittering with laughter.

And kudos to MacDonald-Smith and Jesse Gervais’ slo-mo fight scene, a splendid cocktail of wrestling, ballet and ninja moves.

As You Like It has an absurd plot, but it is light and funny and a great way to spend a summer evening.