Theater Fairfield ends the year with their production of “As You Like It” and gives their departing seniors a swan song they should be exceptionally proud of.

The play opens with a rousing introduction during which the cast welcomes the audience personally. The introduction makes you feel how much the performers want to entertain you.

The 14-person cast of “As You Like It,” gives an exceptional performance. Leading the cast are Jared Mezzochi ’07 and Jodie Pfau, playing Orlando and Rosalind.

Upon meeting one another, Orlando and Rosalind fall instantly in love, but are separated indefinitely. Rosalind is banished to the Forest of Arden with her cousin, where she dresses in the apparel of a man and calls herself Ganymede for her safety. Orlando runs away to the Forest of Arden to escape his brother who is planning to murder him. When Orlando carves love poems for Rosalind into the trees of the forest, Rosalind discovers them, finds Orlando, and, as Ganymede, begins to educate him on how to love a woman.

Mezzochi has truly captured his character and handles Orlando extremely well in every situation. Pfau is an ideal Rosalind; when the audience first sees her, she is ladylike and girly. When she moves into the doublet and hose of Ganymede, her effeminacy is toned down to appear somewhat masculine in a convincing manner to those around her, but never confuses the audience as to her actual gender. Pfau manages to have great chemistry with everyone she works with. The romantic tension between her and Mezzochi is strong, and she and Elizabeth Krane ’09 (who plays Celia) have enough chemistry to be sisters. Krane was eternally supportive and a beautiful Celia. Jonathan Perez ’07 should also be noted as a stand out performaner. As Touchstone the clown, Perez was more than just a funny guy.

Several actors also stood out for exceptional musical abilities. James DeSilvestri ’07 entertains audiences on numerous occasions with his strong singing voice. He has the vocal quality of a minstrel, with enough modern appeal to impress the audience. From the viola to the trumpet, musical instruments also played a role in the play.

Every actor in the cast proved to be a triple threat, showing abilities in acting, singing and dancing.

Costumes were designed by New York based designer’s Hugh Hanson with assistance from Liz Mercadante ’09, and were truly unique. Avoiding classical Shakespearean styles, the costume designs and choices suited their various characters and helped audiences recognize and distinguish between them. Finally, the Pepsico Theater itself was completely rearranged for this production. Eliminating the “fourth wall,” actors found audiences against two walls, giving the audience a stronger perspective of on situations at hand.

“As You Like It” is an outstanding production in all aspects. The graduating seniors all gave stellar performances which will leave Theater Fairfield underclassmen with large shoes to fill.

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