As you like it
AS YOU LIKE IT, The Shakespeare Centre at Cleveland Street Theatre, 199 Cleveland St, Surry Hills; April 20-8 May, 2010; school performances Tuesday and Thursday 11am; Phone: 9213 4508 or theshakespearecentre.org.au. Main photo: Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood, Leon Richardson, Celeste Dodwell and Christy Sullivan; thumbnail: TJ Power.
WATCHING As You Like It in among 120+ high school kids is possibly the best way to experience the play. And when the cast is not much older than the majority of the audience, it’s even better. The connection between cast and text is electric and, after the first 10 minutes as 21st century ears struggle to tune in to Shakespeare’s English, there is no separation between the plight of the young cousins Rosalind (Arianwen Parkes‐Lockwood) and Celia (Celeste Dodwell) – turfed out of home by the usurping Duchess (Cat Martin); wandering a forest of Arden that looks like King Street, Newtown in 1968 – awash with tie-dyed hippies and unpleasant ASIO types; and falling in love with gorgeous young men in the twinkling of a kohl-rimmed eye. (NB, it’s not an evil duke in this production, but a steel-hearted Cruella recognizable by this youth audience as a latterday Gail King or Meredith Hellicar).
Dodwell and Parkes-Lockwood are the intelligent and charming heart of this intelligent and charming production. They really know why they’re there, what they’re doing and how. This is neither as obvious nor as simple as it sounds, particularly with Shakespeare. Consequently that strong sense of purpose and credibility permeates the entire cast, led by Jason Langley’s direction, making the play fresh and relevant and the production fun and rewarding.
The semi-contemporary setting works well – the Duchess’s henchpeople wear sharp suits, shades, talk to their cuffs and aren’t shy of a bit of ultra-violence; while the denizens of Arden sing a delicious version of Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock and are into peace and love. The contrast is plausible and the production pulls it off with panache.
Among the performers, Johann Walraven’s “melancholy Jacques” is especially fine, delivering the fabled “All the world’s a stage” monologue as if he were the first actor ever to speak the lines. Sam Devonport, Brett Dowson, David Hooley, Leon Richardson, TJ Power and Paul Whiteley share the roles of spunks, courtiers, jesters, spivs, lovesick shepherds and swains with allure and aplomb. Adrian Barnes makes a roly-poly bear of the old servant and his death in the forest is genuinely touching as his master and his master’s brother tend to him and weep over his body.
The production keeps the pace cracking along but not at the expense of meaning: the girl dressed as a boy and the star-crossed and unrequited love elements are all clear and as almost sensible as they ever could be. Possibly because of the playfulness of the playing and the youth of the cast, it’s simple to believe in the nonsensical goings-on – disbelief can be suspended along with knowingness and cynicism. It’s definitely part of its appeal.
The setting, by Deidre Burges, is simple and effective: hangings of black and white Marimekko-style fabric are either the pillars and shadows of the royal court or the great oaks of Arden, tricked up with psychedelic cushions and rugs for the forest encampment. Anna Gardiner’s costumes make it easy to differentiate between the court (severe black) and the forest (hippie gear) and Tony Youlden’s lighting enhances and underlines both places.
In enlisting Michael Tyack as “Musical Supervisor” the company signals a unique element of the production: the music. It’s not just “a hey and a ho and a hey nonny no” although TJ Power does it as beautifully as any winsome 60s folkie (think Donovan, perhaps); but the witty injection of bars of 60s hits here and there and a glorious a capella choir by the men, as the Country Wench is wooed by her shepherd, are startlingly good. As is the massed sing for the finale by the entire company and Christy Sullivan’s solos.
So, in a nutshell: this As You Like It is a triumph for a new independent company and suggests a lot of exciting prospects from them in the future. It’s one of the best productions of the play I can remember. So: take your teenagers, whether they’re doing the play or not; or borrow some, have a great evening out and support a brave and talented indie mob.
