'As You Like It' at American Players Theatre exemplifies why the troupe recently won a Tony Award

Katie Reiser, Isthmus

It’s been too many years since I last trekked up the hill to soak in a classic Shakespeare play. If American Players Theatre’s new staging of As You Like It is any indication, I’ve missed out on a lot of magic. Presented under a clear sky and touched by a gentle breeze, the opening night performance on June 13 was a potent reminder of how lucky we are — if there is a more perfect way to spend a Wisconsin summer evening, I’ve yet to find it.

This season’s program booklet includes a lovely tribute to former producing artistic director David Frank, who passed away last summer. I imagine he would have been enormously proud that APT is the recipient of the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The award is on display outside the theater and audience members are invited to take photos posing with the trophy. The result on Saturday night was a fairly hilarious pre-show spectacle of selfies.

Onstage, tensions in the court are high as royal families are torn apart due to petty jealousy and strife between two sets of brothers. Duke Frederick (Gavin Lawrence) exiled his older brother Duke Senior (David Alan Anderson) to the woods. Oliver (Rasell Holt) cannot seem to explain his disdain and ill treatment of his younger brother Orlando (Derrick Moore). The two tussle and skirmish before Orlando meets Rosalind (Samantha Newcomb), the daughter of the banished Duke, and Celia (Sola Thompson), daughter of the banishing Duke.

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