'As You Like It' at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

To put it lightly, 'As You Like It' is not one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. Consider it one of his weakest actually. It's not the language and text that's the problem, Shakespeare's unrivalled mastery of language and text can be seen in even his lesser work. The problem is the too thin and absurd story with a silly and randomly introduced ending, just about kept afloat by Shakespeare's prose and nice characters.

Available productions/versions of 'As You Like It' have varied, didn't like the Laurence Olivier or Christine Edzard versions while finding a good deal to like about Kenneth Branagh's, Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC Television Shakespeare productions and loving the very condensed animation version. Until my recent viewing of this 2010 Shakespeare Globe production, this reviewer had not seen a great production of 'As You Like It'. Until now, this viewer more than liked it and instead loved it.

Production values are both handsome and tasteful, with a good sense of period and the specific setting is the most convincing of all the productions seen. The forest setting is as enchanting as ought and personally had no problem with the camera work or video directing, which was intimate but not static. The music also fits perfectly, beautiful musical interludes that are true to the time period and not staged in an overblown way. The ending dance is both hugely entertaining and beautiful.

Had no issues either with the stage direction, which did a great job at making the story easy to follow and accessible, with the humour not being overdone or taking over the drama (remarkable considering how silly the story is), the silliness not going overboard and the heart of the play is not lost, instead the drama is very poignant. The ending is less random and absurd than usual, which is a good thing. There are no gratuitous or confusing touches here and there is a lot of energy.

Shakespeare's dialogue is a consistent poetic delight. The performances are wonderful all round, Naomi Frederick brings feisty spirit and charm to Rosalind and Jack Laskey is a dashing Orlando. Their chemistry is charming and surprisingly sensual. Tim McMullen has great comic timing while also being melancholic, an effective mix of feeling repulsion and pity for Jaques. Domic Rowan is at his most hilarious as Touchstone.

Concluding, absolutely loved it. 10/10.

Even if you find Shakespeare plays difficult to watch and keep up with (as I do) I am sure you will still enjoy this production. I was really surprised at how much humour and sentiment is conveyed even though often the Shakespearian English is difficult to follow. This is a fabulous production for the uninitiated and I thoroughly recommend if you are just starting out with Shakespeare. Some amateur productions can be quite boring and laboured but the professionalism of these actors is outstanding and they convey the sentiment of each moment so well that even if you are unable to grasp the old English you still get the jist of what is being said and you can enjoy the sentiment and humour even as a novice. Also the fact that it is performed as near as we can get to the way that Shakespeare would have wanted it performed adds to the uniqueness of this performance and I found it much better than any of the Shakespeare movies I have seen. I was incredibly moved by the authenticity that the Globe experience provides which is also all credit to the video production.

I can't recommend this production enough and have made a special effort to come here and write this review. This would be an excellent production for drama teachers to play for students and if you have found Shakespeare hard I would recommend this as easy way to really feel the atmosphere that I am sure Shakespeare wanted to display. Some of the interaction with the audience is very amusing. Not just 'as you like it' I really loved this. well done to all the cast and production team!

Outstanding production of classic Shakespeare pastoral romance. Directorial interpretation, pacing, choreography, fights, and music all work harmoniously under flawless organization by Thea Sharrock. The dance scene at the end is especially effective and energized. Naomi Frederick (Rosalind) and Jack Laskey (Orlando) exhibit striking chemistry with beautifully crafted deliveries and sexy, poignant ironies where needed. As Jaques, Tim McMullan reveals an entertaining combination of self-deprecating humor and silly melancholy as befits the role. Musical interludes and songs: first-rate. This is Shakespeare at his best, and you will like--even, love-- it.

It is a pleasure to see this production done in its original form in the Shakespearean Globe theatre: without sets or other production just simply the actors and their lines. It feels like seeing how the play was intended to be performed and as it would have been in the old bard's time. The humour in as you like it is subtle but the actors make this the funniest version of the play I've seen. Even Jacques the melancholic philosopher gets plenty of laughs from the audience and manages to make Jacques somehow very funny without losing any of the weight of some of his most thought provoking lines. This may well be the best version of the play on screen.