In defining the seven ages of man — from puking infant to mere oblivion — Shakespeare added a sharp edge of sadness to his otherwise sunny rom-com “As You Like It.” The tale of lovers cavorting through a sylvan paradise is cut through by the melancholy musings of Jacques, a man of constant sorrow, who utters the famous metaphor, “All the world’s a stage.”
Director Skyler Schrempp’s production opens in previews July 12 at Oak Brook’s First Folio Theatre, where the grounds of the leafy Mayslake Peabody Estate will signify the wild forest of Arden. It’s the second time into Arden’s woods for actor Kevin McKillip, who played Jacques 16 years ago at First Folio.
“Before, I wasn’t anywhere near old enough to play him,” says McKillip, “I was in my 20s. And I was maybe only through two of the seven stages.” McKillip is considerably further along now, as befits the character. “Jacques speaks with such an experienced, world-weary voice. He’s a many of considerable life experience. I think the cumulative experience I’ve had over the years since the last time I played him are going to allow me to give a much more nuanced reading of the role.”
It may sound counterintuitive, but McKillip’s decades of experience as a professional clown will factor into that nuance.
“As far back as you want to look, there is a great history of the clown as someone who is crying on the inside,” McKillip says. “I think my work as a clown helps keep me grounded, in the moment and ready for anything. But it also connects me to the flip side of the emotional coin.
The line between comedy and sadness can be very, very thin. We’ve all experienced those times when the pain is so great, all you can do is laugh.”
Jacques might be have the most famously melancholic speech in all of “As You Like It,” but he’s surrounded on stage by a story as frothy and funny as they come.
The plot follows two best friends: Rosalind (Leslie Ann Sheppard) and Celia (Vahishta Vafadari). Rosalind is the daughter of a banished duke; Celia is the daughter of the duke who did the banishing. The story launches when Rosalind is banished from court under threat of death. To better survive the threats of the wild, Rosalind dresses up as a boy while Celia takes on the guise of a lowly peasant. Off they go, on an adventure that ends (no spoiler since this is a comedy and they all end the same way for Shakespeare) in multiple marriages.
With the constraints of court life thrown off, Cecilia and Rosalind blossom into independent young women.
“In court, there’s all these expectations on women,” says Sheppard. “When they get to Arden, all those expectations change. It’s no longer about status and money and government. It’s about figuring out how you’re going to eat. How you’ll survive. And it’s about friendship — at court, there’s an element of people using each other for the sake of gaining status. All that’s gone in the woods. The women have freedom to express themselves. To ask questions. To make their own choices.”
If Rosalind and Celia and more find their heart’s desires in the final act, Jacques remains as a reminder that real life offers no such guarantees.
“I’m hesitant to simply label (‘As You Like It’) a comedy because there’s so much in it about sadness as well as about friendship and love,” says McKillip. “We’ve all had those days when you want to do is sit in your bedroom and smoke and listen to Air Supply. I think Jacques has a lot of those days.”
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‘As You Like It’
When: July 12 –Aug. 20
Where: First Folio Theatre, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook
Tickets: $23 previews (through July 14), $10 children under 12, $36 seniors, $39 general admission (regular run)
Contact: 630-986-8067; www.firstfolio.org