As You Like It

Synopsis

Written around 1600 and set in two contrasting communities; city and forest. Rosalind and Celia have been banished from Court. In fear of their lives, they disguise themselves and seek sanctuary in the Forest of Arden. Amongst the magical and ancient boughs, Rosalind discovers her exiled father, uncovers various truths about herself and others...and falls helplessly in love. But in this earthly paradise nothing is quite what it seems: men do not always act like men, and women can be anything at all...Uplifting, awe-inspiring and immense fun, Shakespeare's wondrous comedy is a joyous celebration of the liberating power of love and the redeeming spirit of nature.

Our Review:

9 January 2001

There's that moment when you walk into a pub on Boxing Day and see every man in a particularly garish sweater, the unwilling wearers of hideous Christmas gifts. Halfway through Gregory Doran's production of As You Like It, I felt similarly afflicted as Duke Frederick and the exiled lords paraded across stage in resplendent knitwear, trailing tapestry cushions behind them.

Much has been made of the involvement of celebrated knitting designer Kaffe Fassett in this production but, truthfully, his creations serve only as a distraction. The same could be said about the use of Django Bates as composer. His soft, chamber jazz adds nothing and the use of yet another celebrity seems a hype too far. If it's true that a good play needs no epilogue, it s also true that it needs no gimmicks. Fortunately, Gregory Doran's production is in all other ways a clear and uncluttered telling of Shakespeare's charming sylvan tale, and such gimmicks don't spoil the show.

Dor...

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