As You Like It ****

Olivier, National Theatre

EXCERPT: "Findlay has breathed new life into this play - her directorial choices bring new things to it whilst being entirely faithful to the text"

Summary

With her father the Duke banished and in exile, Rosalind and her cousin Celia leave their lives in the court behind them and journey into the Forest of Arden. There, released from convention, Rosalind experiences the liberating rush of transformation. Disguising herself as a boy, she embraces a different way of living and falls spectacularly in love. Shakespeare’s glorious comedy of love and change comes to the National Theatre for the first time in over 30 years.

Thoughts

Polly Findlay's production of As You Like It is masterfully done - at least for the first half. I loved the office set up, and the way distended chairs and desks then make up the rather sinister Forest of Arden (Lizzie Clachan's set is absolutely inspired and inspiring - an illustration of why we need a publicly subsidised National Theatre to push our boundaries). Findlay has breathed new life into this play - her directorial choices bring new things to it whilst being entirely faithful to the text, using it to create new set ups that are very comic (as with a gesture to one of the many desk-bound pot plants when Orlando talks about being in his elder brother's orchard, or how the decision to bring the cast on as sheep exposes how many specific flock-related references there are in the conversation with the shepherd). Findlay has an exceptional grasp of Shakespeare's language, something which is made very evident by how clearly comprehensible the whole play is. It is very easy to follow everyone's meanings (in direct contrast to Lyndsey Turner's production of Hamlet). I was a huge fan of the Rosalind and Orlando pairing - Rosalie Craig feisty and sexy, Joe Bannister fumbling and sweet. And Patsy Ferran's Celia had real oomph too which I liked a lot. I loved the animals in the trees with their eerie / comic additions to things and general singing too - stunningly melancholic and melodic stuff I could have listened to all night.

The second half tailed off a bit - partly to do with the play I think and its enthusiasm to tie everything together - but I also think it never quite regained the fluidity and energy of the first half. There was lots of running on and off by various characters and I found their relationships harder to follow and engage with.

What did I think of it overall? I think Shakespearean comedy can be a bit problematic because it's entertainment without enough emotional or moral meaning and purpose. But I think this was a zesty production and that it showcased the strength of the female roles in comparison to the male ones in a way that made it subtly feminist.