10 July – 1 September

Last year the RSC staged an ‘age-blind’ production of As You Like It in which the giddy young lovers were played by actors who might well have been claiming their pensions, and very refreshing it was too. Now Shakespeare’s Arden comedy has been given another shake-up with this new production, reduced to a running time of around 85 minutes and staged outdoors in the Swan Theatre Gardens.

An advance note warns that there’s no shade or shelter in an alfresco auditorium which first opened during the pandemic. On the evening I saw it the rain held off, just about. Yet there’s something appropriate in leaving audience and cast exposed to an uncertain English summer, since this is exactly the situation of the exiles in the forest of Arden, some of whom claim to prefer the iciness of the wind to the hypocrisy of court life.

An instrumental version of ‘Autumn Leaves’, performed by the cast, starts the show and its mixture of the melancholy and the upbeat sets the tone for an enticing, muscular production. Things move swiftly. The fraternal hostility between envious Oliver and upright Orlando, paralleled by that between the usurping Duke Frederick and rightful Duke Senior, is rapidly established, as is the bond between cousins Rosalind and Celia. 

When the action moves to Arden, the smooth turquoise panelling of the court (designer Liam Bunster) swivels and shifts to suggest shadowy paths and glades. 

The forest has its own population of lovelorn swains and shepherdesses although they are largely played for laughs even as, in standard Shakespearean style, the aristocratic liaisons are taken semi-seriously. Chris Nayak, who doubles as Frederick, brings poignancy to Silvius while Natasha Magigi is a volatile Phoebe. 

Much of the forest action is coordinated by Rosalind, the most important character in the play. Able to manipulate others though, ironically, with little control over her feelings for Orlando, Letty Thomas suggests both her strength and her vulnerability. The exchanges with Celia (Christina Tedders), costumed in Little Bo-Peep style, have more bite than usual. Just as Rosalind riffs on the absurdities of love, the play also contains two other famous commentators on the human condition. Duncan Wisbey’s Touchstone is the clown who is savvy enough to adapt to circumstance while Jaques (Trevor Fox) is torn between satire and contempt for humanity.

Yet among the laughter there must be traces of that Arcadian life which the Arden setting hints at, the unspoilt ‘golden world’ which the exiled Duke and his followers believe they might recreate. The setting, under the trees and beside the Avon, is ideal for this exuberant and thoughtful production of As You Like It directed by Brendan O’Hea. From the musical intro to the literally jazzy finale, the cast are plainly enjoying themselves and anybody in the audience must surely feel that, yes, it would be fun to be part of this troupe. 

Luke Brady, who plays Orlando, had an ankle injury which meant that he hobbled on and had to perform sitting at the side of the action. He played his part with expressiveness and vigour while the rest of the company worked so dextrously round him that any limitation was quickly forgotten. Even so, his injury provided a different take on that old theatrical injunction ‘break a leg’.

★★★★☆     Philip Gooden    25^th July 2024