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It’s that time-honoured tale. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl are exiled to the forest. Girl disguises herself as boy. Girl tricks boy into wooing her as boy. Sound familiar? No? Well, it’s the basic premise for Shakespeare’s popular pastoral comedy As You Like It, currently running at The Royal Exchange in Manchester. As one of the most regularly performed Shakespeare plays, questions are always thrown up as to how a production will set itself apart from the others. Director Greg Hersov achieves this brilliantly by bringing the somewhat dated play hurtling into the 21st century.
The unabashed modernity of the production is rather refreshing. By settling the play into the present day, the production has a certain youthful elation which celebrates a world in which the characters are free to be the people they want to be, ready to take on an exciting future full of possibility - not for this company the fond nostalgia of the past! Hersov’s humorous treatment of the work means that the audience are treated to a number of peculiar, yet hilarious, situations, including a Mexican wrestling match, a look inside a Playboy mansion-type party, and a Gospel sing-song in the presence of a Metallica-loving Priest.
The set is similarly contemporary. Hersov’s Forest of Arden is created through retractable, coloured speakers hanging from the ceiling above the stage floor, which has been painted in a vibrant river of colour. From these speakers a beautiful soundscape of forest ambience and music is piped, creating a sensory setting which the audience must visualise for themselves. The colours of the painted floor are mirrored in the cast’s costumes, most of whom look as if they have leapt out of the latest United Colours of Benetton advert. This abstract, visual and auditory design keeps the production bang up-to-date whilst encompassing the excitement, joy and fantasy that is brought forward in Shakespeare’s work.
The acting, for the most part, is impeccable, the cast working seamlessly as an ensemble. However, the stand-out characters are undoubtedly performed by Cush Jumbo and James Clyde. Clyde is able to turn Jaques, a melancholy courtier, into an enigmatic and comedic role who brings a necessary cynical realism to the play. Seemingly channelling David Bowie as he struts across the stage on Cuban heels, he doles out some of the wisest and most beautiful of Shakespeare’s speeches whilst still retaining the ability to bring the house down with a perfectly timed roll of the eyes. Jumbo, meanwhile, provides a stunning performance, bringing a fresh and very modern interpretation of the central character of Rosalind. The actress is able to hold her own as both Rosalind and her alter ego: the clever young boy Ganymede. With her mastery of the subtlest of delivery, straight through to the most slapstick sequences whilst balancing all of Rosalind’s wit, wisdom and charm, the audience is always right where she wants them: on the edge of their seats, ready to scream in anxiety, cry in frustration and laugh with pure joy, right along with our protagonist.
Hersov’s production is a euphoric celebration of friendship, family, music, nature, magic, love and the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. Whilst the play itself may not be the most exciting plot you will ever come across, the beautiful design, talented cast and the stunning music will be more than enough to keep you enraptured from start to finish. And really, can you think of a better way to spend a summer evening?
As You Like It is showing at the Royal Exchange in Manchester until 6th August, with both matinee and evening performances. Tickets can be bought online at the Royal Exchange website.
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