Eric Paterniani in As You Like It
The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot has found a new home in the Parking Lot behind The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (CSV), 114 Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets. The troupe has kicked off the third decade of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot there July 9 to 26 with "As You Like It," directed by Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy. The production offers delightful lessons of love, starting off in a stately English Victorian world and moving into a Steampunk paradise when the scene shifts from a conventional Duchy to the mythical Forest of Arden.
"As You Like It" is a perennial favorite among Shakespeare's comedies. In keeping with the play's magical spirit, director Hamilton Clancy is transporting this "As You Like It" into a timeless period with costumes that hint of the classical Victorian era. They become Steampunk when the scene shifts to the Forest of Arden. The idea is to address the core elements of romance and love by savoring the romantic magic of retreating from modern culture to an imaginary place where lovers can be free. "There is freedom in history, in a bygone era" says director Hamilton Clancy.
Eric Paterniani is performing multiple roles: the French courtesan Le Beau, the rejected William and the enthusiastic Jaques De Boys.
Domenick Danza reviews on MoreThanAPlay website: "Eric Paterniani will make you laugh both as LeBeau and William".