Benjamin Goode reviews Shakespeare done well in Rose Theatre's As You Like It.
As You Like It, the bard’s oft-maligned, and yet most performed play about love unrequited and the redemptive power of love fulfilled is the Rose’s eleventh home-grown production. A hanging bough for a canopy frames a stage that grows (literally) from earthy sparseness to a bounteous and arresting tableaux of plenty in a forest of Arden populated by a free-living band of merry men.
Jonathan Fensom's design creates the space for an engagingly paced, seemingly feel-good skin-deep rom-com. This contrasts with the big social heart evident in Stephen Unwin's direction and the exceptionally strong performances he elicits from the cast.
The first half holds our attention from the outset with a high-octane, visceral wrestling scene of bulging sinew (read topless men). But the production as a whole is quietly stolen from under the audience’s proverbial nose by the melancholic Jaques. Played with the aspect of a tired, hollow-eyed libertine by Adrian Lukis, his “All the world’s a stage” speech is the worth the ticket price alone. So unassuming is his delivery that it takes us a second to realise what is actually going on. By entrances and exits we are nestled in the palm of his hand, and, by the end he drops to just above a whisper to send “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything" ringing out into the night. You could hear a pin drop. Even his fellow players seem to be entranced. The silence is only broken by a lady several rows back who probably says louder than she intended, “Well, that’s the best I've ever heard it!”
The romance is gamely played out by David Sturzaker as Orlando (a big departure from his normal role in daytime TV favourite, Doctors) and Georgina Rich’s Rosalind, who between them generate a likeable and believable chemistry. The central characters are ably supported by Claire Prempeh as the bawdy Audrey and Michael Feasts’ Touchstone, played with not a small sprinkling of Jim Carrey.
The notable performances of classic roles remind us that sometimes the old ones really are the best. And in light of the well documented current funding environment it’s a bittersweet play that not only affirms, but also makes us keenly aware of how fragile the rose is that blooms beneath melancholy boughs. Shakespeare done well.
As You Like It runs at Rose Theatre until 26th March
Image credit: Nobby Clark
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