James Karas
Polly Findlay has directed a
bleak and darkly beautiful production of As You Like It, one of Shakespeare’s
best comedies of love. As You Like It
takes place in two distinct worlds: the city and the country. It starts with
treachery and usurpation of power in the city and ends with the triumph of love
and marriage in the Forest of Arden with some gray areas in between.
Patsy Ferran and Rosalie Craig. Photo:Jojann Persson
The city for Findlay and Set Designer
Lizzie Clachan is a large office full of desks and other furniture. Orlando
(Joe Bannister), the younger son of an aristocrat, is mistreated by older
brother Oliver (Philip Arditti), is denied his inheritance and is forced to clean
the furniture with a sprayer. The same set serves as the scene in the house of
Duke Frederick (Leo Wringer) who seized power from his brother Duke Senior
(John Ramm) and exiled him in the forest. Duke Senior’s daughter Rosalind was
spared because she is a friend of the usurper’s daughter Celia. But Ferdinand
changes his mind and throws her out as well. The two girls leave the evil
palace for the forest together.
We all go to the Forest of Arden
and Findlay has the engineers of the National hoist all the furniture above the playing
area. All the pieces are tied together and the change from city to forest is
quite dramatic.
The furniture hovering over the
actors is black as is the rest of the stage. This forest is bleak, cold,
forbidding and unpleasant. We hear the sounds of animals that may be natural to
the forest and perhaps threatening. At one point the chorus comes out on all
fours wearing woolen sweaters. The flock of sheep has arrived.
The desks and chairs of the city
and the dreary forest perhaps tell us that people and life are the same
everywhere? It may be but by the end of the play Oliver and Duke Frederick, the
bad guys, will be transformed into decent people, order will be reestablished
and the sun will shine.
Findlay assembled a first rate
cast for her dramatic conception of the play for this production. Rosalie Craig
as Rosalind and Patsy Ferran as Celia made a fine team of friends who interacted
superbly with each other and the other characters. The delivery of
Shakespeare’s language by them and the rest of the cast was outstanding. Clear,
resonant, pitch-perfect.
Touchstone the clown (Mark
Benton) and the melancholy Jaques (Paul Chahidi) are always interesting
characters to watch. Benton with his generous physique was very funny and
Chalidi gave us a sympathetic outsider with a fine delivery of the Seven Ages
speech.
The country folk were entertaining.
Siobhan McSweeney was a lively and randy Audrey, Gemina Lawrence, a spitfire
Phoebe and Ken Nwosu made a bouncy Silvius.
Findlay staged the wrestling
match between Orlando and Charles (a beefy Leon Annor) like something from the
World Wrestling Entertainment. Charles wore a gold cape and his supporters were
screaming and howling with excessive zeal. It did not quite match the mood of
the rest of the production but it was fun.
Findlay has added a chorus which
sings some songs (music by Orlando Gough) and it is all very pleasant.
The director delivers a well thought
out production with a personal perspective that is interesting, successful and
very much worth seeing.
__________
As You Like It
by William Shakespeare continues until March 5 2016 at the Olivier Theatre
in the National Theatre, South Bank,
London, England. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
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