Arden/Everywhere NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (22)
See it if You want to see a new take on Shakespeare's great comedy. You like the idea of Shakespeare being used to illuminate today's issues
Don't see it if You can't handle an uneven ensemble. Some of the acting was fantastic, some less so.
See it if you enjoy seeing people stretch the idea of Shakespeare.
Don't see it if you are more of a Shakespeare purist or think that the language must take precedence over concept.
See it if you enjoy the original play and want a new, relevant take on it
Don't see it if you want to see Shakespeare's text onstage without any reference to the current European migrant crisis
See it if Shakespeare as a refugee crisis interests you. Diversity, class conscious, higher stakes, this version adds insight and meaning!
Don't see it if you don't like awesome sets that work on multiple levels, physical acting, finding how Shakespeare is newly relevant, a poignant comedy
See it if want typical average shakespeare.
Don't see it if think it's going to blow your mind, want people who can really handle the text,
See it if You are interested in the idea of "As You Like It" being staged in a refugee camp. The smart, well-acted production becomes newly relevant.
Don't see it if You like your Shakespeare classically staged.
See it if you haven't seen As You Like It recently. Great performances.
Don't see it if you expect the refugee angle to give new relevance to the piece other than the contemporary setting and the background of the performers.
See it if You like reimagined Shakespeare
Don't see it if You don't like classical text
Critic Reviews (5)
"'Arden/Everywhere' has all the verve of a deflated soccer ball...'As You Like It' isn’t a great fit for the tale that Bauman wants to tell. The substance of the plot doesn’t seem to interest her...And the comedy is a non-starter. What does interest her is the refugee setting, but aside from some inspired details, this vision of the Forest of Arden is unproductively at odds with the play...If it had been more daring, the play might have found its own language to tell its own stories."
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“Despite having some of Shakespeare's best-known lines (‘All the world's a stage…’) and one of his most-beloved heroines, ‘As You Like It’ doesn't live up to the promise of its title for everyone. The problem is that it's essentially an Elizabethan rom-com, which concludes with not one, not two, not three, but four weddings. And these amorous payoffs are preceded by a lot of silliness that doesn't produce anywhere close to an equal amount of laughter.”
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"While this lens of exile adds a genuinely moving layer of consequence to the play and a poignancy to the interactions among the characters, there are times when the theme meshes uneasily with the fundamentally lightweight nature of the underlying story...There’s only so much that Bauman and the ensemble can do to add heft...Strong performances and the strength of the central conceit make the piece well worth watching."
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"Featuring a diverse cast including many immigrants to the US, director Jessica Bauman’s play is rich and gripping...This production reverberates with a relevant and engaging energy. The fantastic cast breathes vibrant life into the text, with a commitment to relentless pacing and allowing the stream-of-consciousness nature of the dialogue to come alive...Layering in personal narratives and native languages of various cast members brings 'As You Like It' to new life."
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“The play at first glance appears to be an original production about immigration, but it is, in fact, a play that re-imagines Shakespeare's ‘As You Like It’ as a story about refugees. Exiles of many nationalities live in Arden along with original characters who were banished to live in the forest. The set and lighting design are of the highest quality and the actors are all talented professionals. It is worth your time to see it.”
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