Shakespeare in the Sangres is back. The Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts will be presenting “As You Like It” through July 7, with performances first at Historic Jones Theater in Westcliffe and then at Rialto Theater in Florence. The five-act comedy, based on the novel “Rosalynde,” follows the story of Orlando de Boys, who has been kept in poverty by his brother Oliver since his father’s death.
Orlando decides to wrestle for his fortune at court, where he falls in love with Rosalind. Banished to the forest by her uncle Duke Frederick, Rosalind meets Orlando once again in the forest, where she is disguised as a country boy, Ganymede. “To boil it down to its most basic is: Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy meets girl dressed up as boy later, and kind of falls for her all over again, because she’s so charming,” said director Elliot Jackson, who will also be making appearances in the play.
“This play is full of love at first sight, violent, passionate love.” While the plot might become a bit complicated, the play is filled with laughs and, like all of Shakespeare’s works, themes that endure the test of time. “This play is interesting because on the surface it’s very light and frothy, but it’s actually saying some pretty serious things about what we owe to family and leaders, and what character is like under duress and adaptability,” Jackson said.
“The secret to Rosalind’s success is that she’s able to roll with the punches of bein.
