As You Like It

There's something magical about live theatre and this was a fantastic performance. Having seen As You Like It in 2023 at the Globe, it was interesting to see a completely different production of the same play. The all-male cast directed by Daniel Evans were brilliant. Here are some of the areas that really stood out for me.

Fisayo Akinade as Celia and Jonathan Groff as Rosalind made such an excellent pairing - their chemistry and comic timing were spot on. One scene I loved was when Rosalind kept starting to walk away whilst talking to Orlando, and Celia was mirroring this in the background with increasing frustration.

The set was amazing - the contrast between the harsh monochromatic court scene and the lush green of the forest of Arden was really effective. The lighting was just as impressive: the wrestling scene was set as a boxing match under a lowered lighting rig. In the forest, the sky behind the greenery was lit to reflect the time of day with a moonlit scene followed by a sunrise which looked incredible.

Shakespeare's songs were replaced throughout by Welsh hymns sung a cappella by an excellent choir led by Luke McCall. These really added a unique character to the forest scenes and added to the magic of the performance beautifully.

The show only runs until 7 November and there are only a few tickets left, but if you get a chance to see this I'd strongly recommend it!