The Barenaked ladies To Score Shakespeare's As You Like It

By Amy Somensky Jan 19, 2005, 16:17 GMT

Barenaked Ladies

"This offers us an opportunity to present the audience with a marriage between recorded and live music," said Steven Page, lead singer for Barenaked Ladies, in a statement. "As You Like It has more songs built into it than any other of Shakespeare's plays, and they help to propel the plot and characters. More importantly, they serve to create the mood and the setting. It's very exciting to work as a team with Antoni and Santo to make their vision of Arden come to life."

Director Cimolino said, "As You Like It is a play that explores many kinds of love from the viewpoint of the young. In the spirit of youthful rebellion, the characters drop out of the envious and sophisticated world of the court in favor of the peace and simplicity of the country. I felt that a 1960s setting supported and made vivid each one of the play's themes. Barenaked Ladies are ideal collaborators on this project — their wit and energy are positively Shakespearean."

Page also said, it's going to be "a gift" to write the music to Shakespeare's words. "It's hard to ask for a better co-writer, really, even if he is a little unbending in his approach to collaboration!"

For more information about the Stratford Festival visit www.stratfordfestival.ca.