As You Like It

Not quite the way Shakespeare wrote this well known quote from As You Like It, but it perfectly summarises the current production at West Yorkshire Playhouse. For audiences, as they leave the theatre, will not only remember the excellent acting in this production but more particularly the absolutely fabulous set designed by Ruari Murchison. In his recreation of the Forest of Arden he has used 17 proper trees up to eight metres in height supplied by the Western Log Group in South Wales, along with a superb hanging tableau creating the foliage.

As in many Shakespeare comedies, As You Like It is a complicated twist of various couples falling in love and family feuds. One of the females (Rosalind) spends over half of the play taking on the persona of a country boy, Ganymede, while her cousin Celia becomes his sister, Aliena. Duke Frederick has banished her from his court and the pair, together with the court jester, Touchstone, escape to the Forest of Arden where Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior lives. Orlando who has fallen in love with Rosalind, fearing for his life at the hands of Duke Frederick, has also left home, accompanied by his father’s servant, Adam.

Duke Senior, unaware his daughter is looking for him, is living a simple life with some courtiers and huntsmen. One of them is the melancholy Jaques, who reflects constantly on life. Orlando and Adam arrive and the outlaws welcome them. Oliver comes searching for his brother, Orlando. He has an accident and Orlando saves his life. Orlando is slightly injured and when he tells Ganymede about it she faints. Oliver and Celia fall in love. Phoebe falls in love with Ganymede. It all becomes very complicated. Rosalind re-emerges as a woman and her father gives her to Orlando; Phoebe accepts Silvius instead; Orlando’s older brother returns from university with the news Celia’s father, Frederick, has retired as Duke to become a hermit; and Jaques goes to join him.

There are some very humorous incidents in the play and director Ian Brown brings out the best from his group of 14 actors who between them play a total of 23 parts. Music has been incorporated into the production and several of the actors are very competent musicians.

There is some terrific acting from Nathan Wright as Orlando and Vanessa Kirkby as Rosalind, particularly as she is relatively new to the professional stage having only qualified from Exeter University last year. But the person who in my opinion must take the plaudits, is Bruce MacKinnon as Touchstone.

This is an excellent production and one that will live long in the memory especially for the design of the forest. The play runs until October 16.