Shakespeare Outdoors? Try It, You’ll Find It’s ‘As You Like It’

In Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy “As You Like It,” city dwellers out of touch with honest values find healing from their neuroses in the wholesome embrace of Arden forest.

Taking the Bard’s theme to heart, the Foliage Theatre Project shrewdly turns the play itself into an urban antidote of sorts, with an engaging (and free of charge) environmental staging at Hancock Park (moving in September to Barnsdall Park).

Director Stephen Burdman invites his audience to follow the action through a number of semicircles of natural tableaux, all within strategic range of shade trees. Never spending more than 10 minutes in any one spot, this breezy, judiciously pruned outdoor romp is agreeable to the eye and easy on the mind, without compromising plot fundamentals. In fact, a whimsical twist actually improves on one element of the traditional finale.

While an overriding spirit of fun permeates the event, the performers remain clear and committed to Shakespeare’s sympathetic insights into the polarities inherent in any society--between men and women, old age and youth, wisdom and intemperance. Ariana Navarre in particular brings focus and wit to the all-important role of Rosalind, the banished heroine who, disguised as a man, coaxes honest feeling from her beloved Orlando (Edgar Landa).

Other standouts include Lauren Daniels as Rosalind’s loyal cousin and traveling companion, Steve O’Connor as their droll fool Touchstone, Alyssa Lupo as the misguided Phebe who woos the disguised Rosalind, and Rory Johnston as Rosalind’s dignified father, the exiled duke who embodies the harmony of forest life.

A quality outing that makes minimal demands on your time and none on your wallet--there’s nothing not to like in “As You Like It.”

BE THERE

“As You Like It,” Hancock Park, 6th Street at La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Also at Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, Sept. 6 and 13, 2 p.m. Free. (213) 874-9641. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.