Credit: Topher McGrillis
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
As You Like It has much in common with Shakespeare’s other comedies – gender-swapped disguises, a forest setting and a happy ending that verges on pantomime. Directed by Kimberley Sykes, this production relies heavily on the strength of the cast but other aspects fail to live up to the same standard. The performances thrive in spite of the direction rather than because of it.
The comedic energy is uniformly excellent, there isn’t a single weak link in the chain. The chemistry between Rosalind (Lucy Phelps) and Celia (Sophie Khan Levy) is stunningly well realised, and their giddy excitement is infectious and convincing.
Touchstone (Andy Grierson) manages the impressive feat of engaging the audience without feeling gimmicky. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the general direction and design. The decision to raise the house lights at seemingly random intervals only serves to interfere with the flow of the performance, and destroy the already slim amounts of atmosphere that has been conjured.
The presence of an onstage band is initially intriguing but is soon revealed to be totally redundant. There are a number of songs in the play and the players provide an impressive accompaniment to them, but they spend the vast majority of the performance just sitting still watching the play from behind.
The setting of the Forest of Arden is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and provides a plethora of opportunities for designers to sink their teeth in to. This makes it all the more disappointing that the pastoral setting is rarely even hinted at, let alone captured evocatively. Instead, the stage is mainly bare throughout the plot, until a deeply impressive but ambiguous puppet emerges to deliver a monologue at the play’s climax.
The bare stage hints at Shakespeare’s famous ‘all the world’s a stage’ speech. Whilst this is a conceptually sound interpretation of the play, it is an overly cerebral reading and stifles the fun of what could have been a hilarious few hours at the theatre.
-Daniel Shipman
As You Like It runs at The Lowry until Saturday 5 October 2019.