Ahhh, the good old days!  Today, no one knows how to insult other people like they did in Shakespeare’s time: How about “Out, you TALLOW-FACE!”? Or, “Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting HOG!”  (Sigh…)

One of the goals of an artist should be is to continuously challenge both themselves and their audiences.  What better opportunity to do that than with New York City’s annual Little Shakespeare Festival, which has been spending the last five years re-defining, re-interpreting, and having grateful audiences re-appreciating The Bard’s immense body of work?  And I couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off The Little Shakespeare Festival than with Michael Hagins’ AS YOU WISH IT… or THE BRIDE PRINCESS…or WHAT YOU WILL, directed by Kat Santomoreno and Michael Hagins. How could you NOT love a production with this title?  It can only become more tantalizing from there…

And so, we meet our titular heroine: the willowy, blonde “Honeycup” (Laura Walter), the farm girl who is deeply in love with her believed-to-be-dead hero “Wes” (Mollie Elyse). Honeycup opens with a soliloquy rich with the most famous line from this show’s 1987 cinematic inspiration: “As you wish!” With dedicated yet deliciously deadpan delivery, our Princess Bride Bride Princess almost singlehandedly symbolizes Hagis’ new-school “meta mashup” mentality as we enter the dog days of August 2025.  As many lovers of entertainment already know, The Bard has pretty much set the stage for decades centuries of pop culture to come.  For any new reimagining of William’s work, you just HAVE to add a little camp and “wink wink, nudge nudge” to the mix; Even the most diehard, purist Bard fans would be challenged to see one of William’s works without at least a smidge of humor that a modern-day lens would bring.  Hagis’ script, combined with the deliciously daffy performances of the diverse cast, does just that.  But back to the story: In addition to the Princess Bride Bride Princess, of course: There’s also the Prince, played by Mary Sheridan. willing to start a war over his betrothed lady.  But even though no story of a princess would not be complete without a love story, the morally flawed Prince is NOT the object of Honeycup’s desire; our protagonist stubbornly seeks to stay true to Wes– and would rather be “dead than wed”.  Will true love triumph?  Fans of the movie already know, but I won’t give EVERYTHING away.  I will say, however, that it’s a wild and crazy ride to that inevitable fairy tale ending, with kidnapping, torture, MANY swordfights, revelation of secret identities, and proof that wounded pride can be a fate worse than death…

Michael Hagins states in the show’s program that AS YOU WISH IT… or THE BRIDE PRINCESS…or WHAT YOU WILL is a dream come true for him: “Nine-year-old Michael watched this movie and fell in love with the swordfights, adventures, and love triumphant”.  Indeed, all these elements are fully intact in this show.  As a fellow diehard fan of the movie as well, I can personally guarantee that AS YOU WISH IT… or THE BRIDE PRINCESS…or WHAT YOU WILL perfectly pays lovingly looney homage to that 1987 cult classic.  However, even those who have not watched the movie in one of its many TV airings through the years will appreciate the humor, and just about any pop culture fiend will appreciate the M-A-N-Y transgenerational Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare pop culture references throughout. Cough at any given time during this fast-paced show, and you may miss one-liners referencing Hamlet, Braveheart, Henry V, Macbeth, and many more…The main asset to AS YOU WISH IT… or THE BRIDE PRINCESS…or WHAT YOU WILL, aside from its snappy script and its trans-historical pop culture vibe, is the whopping cast of 11(!) players.  In something of a “Take that!” to Shakespearian roles only being played by men in the Elizabethan era, all the roles in this piece are played by female and non-binary actors.  More importantly, all of the performers bring their own unique comedic gifts to the table.  Each one has their own distinct style with their delivery of humor, and all excel at wordless acting and physical comedy– yet, they all come together very well.

The actors all know EXACTLY what kind of a show they are in… and they make the most out of all 90 delicious minutes of Hagis’ Bard-style debauchery.  The V-E-R-Y intimate space of The Theater Under St. Marks, along with the choice of lighting, really allows the actors to utilize their facial expressions and their aforementioned gifts for wordless comedy. As Buttercup and Wes, Laura Walter and Mollie Elyse make for an endearingly idiosyncratic pairing. Many of the actors revel in over-the-top chewing of scenery, as with Mary Sheridan as the Prince, Liann Herder’s “Vinny”, and Chelsea Rodriguez in the role of “Ini”, complete with a comedically thick foreign accent and fetish for swords. This character just LOVES coming back for more adventure! Gigi Principe, as the no-nonsense “Count”, is an empowering presence as Ini’s most serious rival.  Josephine Pizzino is a crowd-pleaser as both “The Old Woman” and “Miracle Manny”.  As “Yello”, Sara Minisquero has many of the show’s unexpectedly funniest moments. Anel Carmona steals scenes as both “The Minion” and “The Impressive Clergyman”! Rounding off the cast is Michele Santomoreno as “Fez”, who uses both their quick wit and physical attributes to maximum comedic impact; like Minisquero, Santomoreno also has many of the play’s funniest verbal comebacks.  The play is also bolstered by some nice directorial touches, such as the appearance of the famous “Rodent of Insane Size” (actually listed in the program as “Rodent of Insane Size”), who is played by Liann Herder in full Mickey Mouse drag.  It was a real audience pleaser.  A shout out also goes out to the costume design by Kat Santomoreno, especially the Prince’s people, whose attire was color-coordinated with a preponderance of red, gold, black, and white.

Fork the Odds Productions’ AS YOU WISH IT… or THE BRIDE PRINCESS…or WHAT YOU WILL continues through Satturday, August 9th (Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9) at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, NYC. Visit Frigid New York for tickets and more information.  For more information about the entire Little Shakespeare Festival 2025 and other upcoming FRIGID New York shows , visit Frigid New York.