“As You Like It” at Telluride’s Palm Theatre October 29

26 Oct “As You Like It” at Telluride’s Palm Theatre October 29

[click “Play” to hear Peter Meineck on Aquilla Theatre]

As we like it: the Palm Theatre in Telluride brings New York’s Aquila Theatre Company to town with its production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” on Thursday, October 29, 6:30 p.m. “As You Like It”  is one of the Bard’s greatest and most discombobulating comedies. It takes a sailor to untie the knots that result from plot twists and turns.

Here’s a road map to “As You Like It”: Rosalind, daughter of a banished Duke, is forced to flee court and enter the Forest of Arden when her life is threatened by her power-hungry uncle and his henchmen. Accompanied by her cousin, Celia, Rosalind gets all tricked out as a man for safety’s sake. The disguise proves handy as Rosalind tests the devotion of her noble suitor Orlando, also forced into hiding by a bloodthirsty sibling. In the guise of a man, Rosalind teaches Orlando the ways of the heart. Some of the Bard’s most poetic language flows through a cycle of merry and melancholy misunderstandings, gender bending, and mistaken identities among the court exiles and forest natives. In the end, love conquers all and justice wins the day. “As You Like It” contains the famous monologue that begins: “All the World’s a Stage…” comparing life to a play.

Aquila’s production, set in a period of revolution in France, has received raves from even the harshest critics.The LA Times  says “The Aquila Theatre brings intelligence and laser-sharp line readings to this eminently enjoyable modern-dress take on Shakespeare’s comedy.” From the Los Angeles Examiner : “Remarkable. A really first rate offering. Good luck finding a production of As You Like It more transporting.”

Widely regarded as one of the most inventive and daring theatre companies in the country, The Aquila Theatre Company was founded in London in 1991 by Peter Meineck. Aquila has called New York City home since 1999. The New York Times called the company a “classically trained and modernly hip troupe.”

To learn more about The Aquila Theatre’s production of “As You Like It” at the Palm, click the “play” button and listen to Peter Meineck’s podcast.