“If thou remember’st not the slightest folly; That ever love did make thee run into; Thou hast not loved.” Read more …
Banished from her home by a tyrannous uncle, Rosalind and her companions take shelter in the Forest of Arden. Disguising herself as a boy, she discovers an unparalleled sense of freedom that allows both her and those she meets to learn valuable lessons about love, life and themselves.
As the characters and the audience embark on a literal journey into the Forest of Arden, they open up a whole new vista of experiences and discover the truth about themselves. Beautifully romantic and enchantingly funny, As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most enjoyable comedies and features, in Rosalind, one of drama’s greatest romantic heroines.
Gordon Barr’s outdoor promenade performance of Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy makes for entertaining, comic fare.
There are still good things going on here, particularly from Nicole Cooper as a Rosalind who flits between mischievous tomboyishness and a tongue-tied teenage girl with a serious crush. Kirk Bage makes for a stately, somewhat Wildean Jaques, and Beth Marshall doubles up nicely as Madame Le Beau and comely goatherd, Audrey.
Barr’s ensemble works tightly and generously together, but the acting honours go Nicole Cooper, Jennifer Dick and Beth Marshall as the spirited trio of heroines, Rosalind, Celia and Audrey.
What the show lacks in speed and brilliance, though, it fully makes up in the sheer quality of its loving attention to the text; and it’s refreshing to see a production whch simply goes with the flow of this strange, and beautiful play.
Bard in the Botanics, Glasgow from Wednesday July 11, 2012, until Saturday July 28, 2012. More info: http://www.bardinthebotanics.co.uk
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