Spirited company makes merry work of the Bard

Simotes has chosen to set “As You Like It’’ in the Paris of the 1920s. The period setting serves largely as a pretext for members of the splendid cast to swan about in Jazz Age outfits (rendered with eye-catching flair by costume designer Arthur Oliver), dance the Charleston, and even do a bit of scat singing.

Sight gags abound - at one point, several characters climb out of a hole in the stage - along with pratfalls, double-entendres, double-takes, and the occasional deliberate anachronism (there’s a reference to the Tea Party). But it’s not all slapstick: A somber, wordless scene in the Forest of Arden evokes the catastrophic war just past and perhaps adumbrates the one to come.

As Rosalind, one of Shakespeare’s most fully imagined heroines, Merritt Janson gives a performance charged with the intelligence, wit, and expressivity the role requires. She also does a nifty Groucho Marx-style-jig after her beloved bestows a kiss on her.

That would be Orlando, who is not just the object of Rosalind’s affections but also her partner in verbal fencing matches. Tony Roach brings a boyish charisma and a limber athleticism to the role - and Orlando needs the latter quality to survive the implacable hostility of his older brother, Oliver (Josh Aaron McCabe), who roots for his destruction in a match with a renowned wrestler.

This scene, where Orlando captures Rosalind’s heart, is staged by Simotes less in the spirit of Bardolatry than of a rowdy TV spectacle like “Raw’’ or “SmackDown!’’ complete with the clownishly strutting wrestler (Kevin O’Donnell) and a tide-turning kick by Orlando to his foe’s groin. (No referee intervenes. Vince McMahon would approve).