As You Like It
William Shakespeare
As You Like It
When two young people fall in love they are unable to act on their impulse. Uncertain of their standing in court and fearing for their lives, Rosalind and Orlando are forced into exile in the Forest of Arden only to become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. One of Shakespeare's great comedies, As You Like It subverts the traditional rules of romance, confusing gender roles, nature and politics in a play that reflects on how bewildering yet utterly pleasurable life can be.
4.0 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Location |
Stratford-Upon-Avon |
| Venue |
Courtyard |
| Director |
Michael Boyd |
| Cast |
Katy Stephens (Rosalind), Jonjo O'Neill (Orlando), Forbes Masson (Jacques), Geoffrey Freshwater, Sandy Neilson, James Tucker, Richard Katz (Touchstone) Mariah Gale (Celia) |
| From |
April 2009 |
| Until |
October 2009 |
| Box Office |
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When two young people fall in love they are unable to act on their impulse. Uncertain of their standing in court and fearing for their lives, Rosalind and Orlando are forced into exile in the Forest of Arden only to become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. One of Shakespeare's great comedies, As You Like It subverts the traditional rules of romance, confusing gender roles, nature and politics in a play that reflects on how bewildering yet utterly pleasurable life can be.
Reviews
The Stage
Pat Ashworth
“It’s all as clear as a bell, a flawless, thoughtful and beautifully-paced production that exploits the Courtyard space to the full. Jonjo O’Neill’s Irishness makes him a fiery rebel and a droll swain as he clasps his guitar and sits lovelorn, dangling one leg from high up in the multi-purpose facade with its myriad opening doors.”
29/04/2009
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The Guardian
Michael Billington
“Boyd gives us the play's dark side, but, as shown by the way we discover Orlando's love letters strewn on the streets around the theatre, he captures the profligate ecstasy of passion, too.”
29/04/2009
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The Evening Standard
Fiona Mountford
“There should be lots to charm us in this delightful comedy of disguised identity and wooing by proxy but here too much is strain and struggle. Michael Boyd, directing for the first time since the triumphant Histories last year, cannot make it all cohere. His production shifts gradually from traditional to modern dress, and fighter-turned-lover Orlando slips oddly from RP to an Irish accent but whatever literal or metaphorical unbuttoning these changes might signify, there is no sense that we are being invited on an emotional journey with the characters.”
29/04/2009
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