One might discount Shakespeare's "As You Like It" as a middlebrow pastoral entertainment, something scratched out for a wealthy patron with a heavy purse to distract his household from the nastiness of the bubonic plague.

Still, it's one of Shakespeare's most often-produced comedies.

And one might dismiss Paul Mitri's stage direction at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa as a gimmicky bag of tricks, designed to pump up the overlong, talky script into a piece that might hold wandering minds long enough to administer a dose of Shakespeare.

Still, the characters and their Elizabethan English come across with clarity, and the inventive action supports the message.

Consequently, the overall production is a successful first outing for Mitri, hired to replace the retired Terrence Knapp, who became an icon at UH for the length and depth of his work, and for inspiring in his students a passion for performing Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's plot has several noble characters escaping court cruelties by hiding out in the Forest of Arden, where they are free to explore genuine feelings without threats or rigid social codes. Unfortunately, this leads to a meandering second act while potential lovers sort themselves out into appropriate pairs in preparation for a finale that sets everything right. But there are compensations.

The high point of Act I is Mitri's choreographed wrestling match between Orlando (Ryan Wuestewald), a disenfranchised younger brother, and Charles (Jordan Savusa), the masked court champion. It's a slam-fest worthy of commercial television.

The high point of the second act is an excellent rendition of Shakespeare's famous "Seven Ages of Man" monologue, delivered by Brett Botbyl as Jaques:

All the world's a stage

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts.

Wrapped around those two pinnacles is consistently good work by the student cast.

Christa Eleftherakis is clear and distinct as Rosalind, the female lead; Brad Larson manages the high emotion of Oliver, Orlando's grasping elder brother; and Savada Gilmore pumps contagious high energy into Touchstone, the fool.

Alan Hoyt does well as both the banished Duke Senior and his evil brother, Duke Frederick.

It might not be the Shakespeare play we'd order up, but "As You Like It" tells its story with confidence and imagination.

The production provides a field day for the design team. Costumes by Bertha Fernandez, Sandra Finney and Hannah Schauer Galli create a Gothic court of somber black and bloody red where the men look like pirates and inquisitors and the women resemble streetwalkers who apply their makeup with whips. The Arden crowd wrap themselves in layers of soft pastels and earth tones.

Joseph Dodd's set is a simple raked circle bisected by a dark curtain. Stephen Clear's lighting paints the area with splendid skies, leafy projections, and a gentle stream that flows down toward the audience.