Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” now playing at the Ahmanson Theater, covers a wide range of emotional subjects, from the miseries of deprivation to the joys of first love. In Sir Peter Hall’s production for Theatre Royal Bath, the sparse staging and the thrift shop costumes give no feeling of time or place. By thus “undating” the story, he tries to mirror the harsher aspects of life.
The wicked Frederick, who usurps the dukedom from his brother and banishes him, wears a militaristic costume from no particular army. The lords who are forced into Arden Forest wear tattered modern day attire, resembling the homeless who gather around bonfires in our cities. Although the ladies all wear the traditional gowns of the past, the clowns wear variations of today’s suits and hats. A bare stage in the first act is followed by a dim, film-projected forest in the second act.
The lesson of perseverance under hardship remains. The banished duke and his followers make the best of their situation and good humor prevails. The various lovers manage to wade through difficulties to find their way to the altar.
The cast is a lively one. Being Brits, they can deliver Shakespeare’s lines with aplomb, although they sometimes chew up a little bit of the forest scenery. Rebecca Hall, who has the pivotal role of Rosalind, has a whiney voice, swallows many words and has many annoying mannerisms. Her cousin, Celia, played by Rebecca Callard, is much more engaging,
In one of Shakespeare’s most delightful contrivances, Rosalind’s lover, Orlando, nails jejune poems of adoration to the trees. Dan Stevens in the role is a convincing foil to the jokes of Rosalind who is posing as a man.
Despite the difficulties of surviving in the unfriendly confines of the forest, the duke and his courtiers persevere with good humor. James Laurenson as the banished duke speaks of the pleasures of outdoor living as he sits in the cold, huddled up in overcoat and shawls. The famous “seven ages of man” soliloquy of Jacques is delivered with heart by Philip Voss who is a bit too merry for the role of the misanthrope.
The lovesick shepherd, Silvius, played adroitly by David Birkin, pursues the hard-to-get Phoebe, in the person of Charlotte Parry. This “tragic” romance is in counterpoint to the horseplay of the clown Touchstone (Michael Siberry) in his comic encounters with the zaftig Audrey (Janet Greaves). Here are the many faces of love.
There is much to enjoy in this production running through March 27 at the Ahmanson Theater. However, the bare-bones background fails to enhance this version. Nobles in noble attire, trying to exist in the unfriendly forest, would be more compelling. Somehow the irony is lost in the translation.