Review: AS YOU LIKE IT, Shakespeare's Globe

Rebellion, unlikely friendships, romance, disguises, comedy, drama, As You Like It has been a crowd-favourite for centuries. Banished by her usurper uncle, Rosalind flees the court with her cousin and best friend Celia to find Orlando, Rosalind’s beloved, who’s been exiled too. Disguised as a young shepherd and a poor woman, they meet an array of colourful characters in the Forest of Arden, including someone they thought they’d lost. Love is found, justice is restored, and everyone lives happily ever after. As we said, it’s a fan-fave. 

This production marks Ellen McDougall’s directing debut at the Globe, having previously been at the helm of The Gate Theatre until last year. With additional text by Travis Alabanza, the pastoral comedy becomes a journey into personal fluidity. It’s a mixed bag, sometimes trying a little too hard to be subversive and coming off as artificial.

It’s charming, quirky, and campy, but lacks essential substance. Generally speaking, it’s a tad too random for its own sake. Amusing touches of meta-theatre coexist with sung interludes that don’t add much and only highlight that some of the company's singing skills are better than the rest. The acting is also irregular. A few fabulous performances sit side by side with some that are surprisingly below Globe standards or aren’t anything to write home about.

Its strength is obviously in its joyous and uncompromising queer nature. McDougall casts it entirely gender-blind, making it a piece where gender doesn’t matter, even though its role is at the very core of it. They turn it into an exploration of the performative quality of identity with plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments that tug at the artifice of drama.

While there’s proud comic talent in bucketloads, there’s very little aplomb. A thorough research for gags that appeal to a contemporary public cements a heavily humorous performance, but, in finding jokes around every corner, we miss out on the depth of certain characters. Nina Bowers carries the show as Rosalind. Energetic and jumpy, she grabs humour by the throat and doesn't let go of it with perfect physical comedic timing. Her chemistry with Macy-Jacob Seelochan’s Celia is unmatched.

Seelochan is a highlight. Minimal changes in expression and eye rolls for days make it a sassy, blunt figure who brings subtlety to an otherwise very straightforward production. They’re surrounded by a cast with acting prowess that differs greatly from one another. Among the standout performances, Emmanuel Akwafo has a small but mighty role. He's fairy-like, waltzing about playfully with gorgeous makeup, ready to welcome punters to a world of wonder that never materialises.

Designer Wills (Paul Williams) leaves the set bare, opting to have a rope tied to the gallery from the upper stage as the only piece of dressing. It’s a curious choice. The result honours the history of the Globe and keeps its sights on the future of the space. A quirky riff on period costumes is the only visual cue besides a long washing line-style mechanism that displays a few lines. It’s cute but doesn’t really mean anything. 

The project is definitely aimed at a younger, progressive crowd and will most probably anger a specific portion of theatregoers. It’s an interesting spin on a beloved story and, while the execution is a bit wobbly here and there, we can see the vision behind it.

As You Like It runs at Shakespeare's Globe until 29 October.

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