Shakespeare meets the Beatles in Theatre Calgary’s ‘As You Like It’

Chelsea Rose plays Rosalind in William Shakespeare's As You Like It, on through March 24 at Theatre Calgary.

What do you get when you throw some Shakespearean sonnets together with some Lennon and McCartney tunes, set it in the Okanagan in the 60s and add a dash of wrestling?

Theatre Calgary’s new production of As You Like It, which promises to offer Calgary audiences a night of Shakespeare like no other that they have ever seen.

Originally conceived by Citadel Theatre artistic director Darryl Cloran and Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, this As You Like It sets the love story of Rosalind and Orlando in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley, where she disguises herself as a man after falling out of favour with the smart set in town.

It’s a comedy that explores love and gender roles with a little help from the Beatles and their iconic melodies.

“I have cut a lot of Shakespeare’s text to make room for them,” Cloran said, in a media release.”The Bard’s story comes alive through song, particularly as the characters find themselves in the woods where emotions can no longer be contained by words alone.”

Theatre Calgary's As You Like It features the music of The Beatles

This production premiered in Vancouver in 2018 and has subsequently been produced in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington, where it was a smash hit at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in December and into January.

As You Like It runs through March 24 at the Max Bell Theatre in Arts Commons. For tickets and more information, go here.