As You Like It
The Holloway Garden Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

SHAKESPEARE’s reference in Romeo and Juliet to “the two-hour traffic of our stage,” when modern productions of the Bard’s works normally extend to nearer three, has left theatre historians some evidence of how contemporary productions of his plays may have been handled at his bankside Globe theatre.

Perhaps a visit to the RSC’s temporary Avon-side summer theatre with Brendan O’Shea’s 80-minute As You Like It may provide something more of a practical demonstration.

When an initial announcement at this press performance, promising “a slightly different show,” with one of the principal actors necessarily seated throughout owing to an ankle injury, was happily responded to by an audience prepared to enjoy whatever was coming — even given a spattering of threatening raindrops — we had an idea of how the first performances may have been received.

George Bernard Shaw asserted that while children would find the play’s philosophy entertaining, their elders would enjoy the pageantry and the wrestling. Well, we are all children when we need to be and the early one-man wrestling match by Peter Dukes’s Charles — after all he could hardly engage with Luke Brady’s seated Orlando — was a tour de force.

In fact, if this As You Like it is not fare for Shakespeare afficionados, it captures throughout the play’s essential fun element. With the cast dressed in an assortment of costumes seemingly chosen from the company’s store, and all delighting in jam sessions with an assortment of instruments, the play may have lost some of the subtler word games between Letty Thomas’s Rosalind and Orlando (whose love play is almost as immobile as his wrestling) but they are clearly enjoying it as much as the audience.

Chris Nayak’s Brummie Duke Frederick is as villainous as he should be, while Duncan Wisbey’s Jaques, looking like William Hartnell’s first Dr Who (remember?), has ditched the customary melancholy for ubiquitous irritation.

If you are looking for a jolly afternoon out and weather permitting, you won’t regret a visit. Even take the kids. 

Runs until September 1; box office: 0789 331-111, rsc.org.uk.