Plymouth

As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Theatre Royal Plymouth

4****

Running Time - 2 hours 55 minutes - 1 interval

Theatre Royal Plymouth Box Office – 01752 267222

www.theatreroyal.com

REVIEW – 13 February 2020

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The Fourth Wall in a theatre – that invisible barrier between the players and the audience at the front of the stage – conventionally doesn’t get ‘broken’ by direct interaction between performers and those watching. In Shakespeare’s era, the convention did not occur. The audience was included in the action, fulfilled roles on stage and sometimes were to be found sitting on the stage watching. There was no formality, it was a fluid arrangement. Thus, following the opening scenes of Kimberley Sykes production of ‘As You Like It’, set in Duke Frederick’s court, we are whisked away into the Forest of Arden – and the full auditorium lights are turned on and, more or less, stay that way for the rest of the production; “All the World’s A Stage”.

So, audience members are brought into the action; actors sit in the auditorium and one gets a piece of chocolate from a punter and eats it at the side of the stage. It’s fun, endearing in a way and rather charming. Thankfully, these devices are not overdone, avoiding any tags of self-indulgence and gimmickry.

As we enter the Forest, the circular greensward gives way to a huge sun of slatted wood; surrounded by stage detritus – we are firmly in a theatre – those who appeared in the court change costumes in full view of the audience – nothing happens out of their view.

The play is full of some beautiful verse which, by and large is delivered with care and attention to its detail. In Lucy Phelps we have a feisty Rosalind – her physicality is almost overdone – she barely pauses, especially as her alterego Ganymede. Anthony Byrne doubles the Dukes – the thuggish and the welcoming and kindly. Sandy Grierson has huge fun as  Riff-Raffesque Touchstone; all glam rocked-up. Sophie Khan Levy offers a fun Celia and David Ajao a likeable Orlando. A gender-swapped Jacques in the hands of Sophie Stanton is less successful – the character is known to be melancholy, this seemed to me rather more bored. Tiny parts were delights, not least Richard Clews’ Adam which was so touching.

As the first half of the evening whizzed by, so the second half laboured a little and the audience became twitchy – the introduction of the Phoebe/Sylvia (Silvius in the original and a male character) seems a plot too much for the slight story.

There is much to praise in this production and the clarity of the spoken verse was joyful – I refer to my Reviewsgate colleague, Rod Dungate, who reviewed the original outing at Stratford and felt the delivery could have been improved; I think it may well have done.

Maybe the extra business added to the length of the production which slightly worked against it, but it was never less than interesting to watch and listen to. I might also add that the live music is jaunty and fun and there is some beautiful singing along with it.

Fun, fascinating – maybe just lacking the pace to keep attention throughout.

 

 

CREDITS

 

DUKE FREDERICK/DUKE SENIOR – ANTHONY BYRNE

TOUCHSTONE – SANDY GRIERSON

ROSALIND – LUCY PHELPS

WILLIAM – TOM DAWZE

CHARLES – GRAEME BROOKES

ORLANDO – DAVID AJAO

CELIA – SOPHIE KHAN LEVY

AMIENS/LE BEAU – EMILY JOHNSTONE

OLIVER – LEO WAN

JACQUES DE BOIS/DENNIS – AARON THIARA

ADAM – RICHARD CLEWS

JACQUES – SOPHIE STANTON

CORIN – PATRICK BRENNAN

PHOEBE – LAURA ELSWORTHY

SILVIA – AMELIA DONKOR

AUDREY – CHARLOTTE ARROWSMITH

MARTEXT – KARINA JONES

 

 

DIRECTOR – KIMBERLEY SYKES

DESIGNER – STEPHEN BRIMSON LEWIS

COSTUME & LIGHTING DESIGN – BRETTA GERECKE

COMPOSER – TIM SUTTON