'All the world's a stage' says Jacques in As You Like It, and for most of Monday evening I felt like my entire world was the stage - more precisely, the Globe's extended stage, which they utilised more than usual to depict the expansive Forest of Arden.
The Globe's production was my first experience of seeing As You Like It live on stage, but my excitement was incensed by imaginings of what the mystical wilderness of Arden would look like. Incidentally, the stage was the barest I've seen it, bar a few flags and some understated foliage on the columns, but what it lacked in décor it made up for in energy and hilarity.
We may as well get straight to the star of the show: Michelle Terry as Rosalind. She was the first true comedian I've seen on the Globe stage, her comic nature wasn't a deliberate part of this particular character so much as her natural comedic talent showing through. Nonetheless, it suited Rosalind perfectly, and made her an erratic, bordering on manic, character with none of the 'female hysteria' mockery added on. Director Blanche McIntyre may well take credit for this refreshing portrayal of a Shakespearean woman: although Rosalind is inherently allowed many 'feminist' traits through her disguise as Ganymede - something emphasised by the brilliant whipping off of her wedding dress to reveal the remaining breeches in the final scene - Celia (Ellie Piercy), the quintessential feminine figure in the play, is not pathetic and laughable either, but witty and charming.
Although Terry really does dominate the second half in her guise as Ganymede, prancing from mood to mood one minute in ecstasy the next unforgiving rage, more minor characters such as Touchstone (Daniel Crosseley) and Audrey (Sophia Nomvete) manage to keep the pace up and the plotline refreshing. The choice to have the interval so early was an interesting one, making the second half a testing 1.5 hours. For those that don't know the story, there was the surprise of so many new characters and subplots in the second half, rather than merely focussing on the Rosalind/Orlando (Simon Harrison) story of the first half. I sensed McIntyre was aware of the unusual length of this half and the musical numbers (written by Johnny Flynn) really kept the energy up and the audience's excitement palpable.
On page, Jacques has always struck me as a confusing cross between melancholy and fool, and admittedly I wasn't looking forward to his lengthy role. However, James Garnon took it on expertly and understatedly. He was unpredictable, suddenly sarcastic, suddenly cutting, suddenly friendly, suddenly desolate - he brought substance to his much quoted speeches and fitted in perfectly to this brilliantly modern twist on original Shakespearean performance the Globe does so well. Blanche McIntyre is fast becoming my most anticipated director of seasons to come.
NB if you need just ONE reason to go to see this, make it Orlando's appropriately lengthy shirtless wrestling scene. If anything's worth standing up for 3 hours, it's that.
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