Local illustrator Thom Skews (@thomskewsillus on instagram & twitter) and playwright Tim Norman (@timothytheatre) reflect on the RSC production of ‘As You Like It’ at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth following the Saturday 15th February matinee performance.
Before we get into the discussion, let's take a moment to lay out each of our histories and experiences with the work of Shakespeare:
TS: Well, seeing As You Like It on Saturday was my first time seeing Shakespeare performed live. Aside from that my experience with Shakespeare is pretty limited; I know about as much as most people would through cultural osmosis about his life and work, and I've read/seen stuff that's either a direct or loose adaptation of his work, like West Side Story and Throne of Blood.
TN: My passion for Shakespeare was a natural progression from my wider love of theatre. Growing up, I dipped in and out of his plays whilst very much concentrating on musicals and the work of other playwrights. It was the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in London which piqued my Shakespearean interest; living in London at the time, the city was abuzz with events to celebrate his work and legacy. My interest is firmly rooted in ‘Shakespeare the man’ - that is, the life and times of the person behind the gorgeous verses. My ‘way in’ to each play, so far, has been to connect the themes with his own life and explore how he was influenced by the world in which he lived. It was clearly a time of great discoveries and new ways of looking at the world as a whole.
I feel this could easily become a discussion about Shakespeare himself, but perhaps sticking with As You Like It is the best idea!!
TS: Absolutely! So, we're clearly coming from very different levels of familiarity with Shakespeare and his work. Before seeing it on Saturday, I only had a very basic idea of what As You Like It was about; how familiar were you with it going in?
TN: I’d read the play and recently watched the BBC adaptation as part of their ‘complete works’ series. Their portrayal seems to be very classical: it is faithful to the text and what I imagine to be the original ‘design’ of the play. It was nice to see this before the stage show to have something to visually compare the RSC version with.
TS: I see; from what I've read, it seems like As You Like It is considered to be a relatively minor work compared to some of Shakespeare's other plays?
TN: It doesn’t seem to have quite the same renown as, say, ‘Twelfth Night’ or ‘Hamlet’, particularly because it doesn’t appear on the school syllabus as much as these. (Although it remains a popular comedy since the revival of interest in Shakespeare plays in the eighteenth century, as noted by Robin Sowerby in his critical history.) It was written around the same time as some of his most famous works, with similar themes running throughout As You Like It. Twelfth Night, in particular, has very similar aspects. (Mainly the convoluted yet fun disguises.)
TS: The themes of disguise and complicated romantic situations do seem quite prominent in his work. I feel like the play's status as one of his less important works might have played a part in the RSC take on it being so meta and playful.
So, where shall we begin with the RSC production?
TN: The themes of their version being meta and playful seems a fun place to start: particularly because it was such a large aspect.
TS: I think the point where I was really sold on the production was when the curtain dropped when (I think) Orlando was escaping to the forest, and we got to see "behind the scenes", with the musicians messing around on their instruments and playing bits from Star Wars and Game of Thrones. It definitely took the play in a direction I wasn't expecting; it almost felt like a pantomime at times, especially with the audience participation!
TN: That was a stunning moment, taking the show to new heights. There is an innate theatricality within As You Like It; I loved how they really took this theme and ran with it.
I feel the ‘All the World’s a Stage’ speech gives a huge license to play with every element of this show.
The pantomime quality was certainly helped by the wonderful Sandy Grierson as Touchstone: his asides to the audience and flamboyant costume reminded me most of the comic character in a panto!
TS: Absolutely, I loved Touchstone! I also feel like the heightened comedic moments made Jacques' speeches feel weightier; it's like she was removed from the story in a really interesting way, and was more commenting on the story from the sidelines.
TN: I totally agree - both her costume (the long coat was gorgeous) and her tendency to look at others from afar reminded me greatly of David Tennant during his final scenes in Doctor Who. She exuded a wonderful stage presence. I read a review which suggested she presented as ‘bored’ as opposed to melancholy as required, but I really enjoyed her performance.
TS: Yes, she was definitely more disillusioned than bored! Her costume gave me a Doctor Who vibe too; the costumes were great overall, really. In one of the behind the scenes videos on the RSC YouTube channel, the director said she wanted the costumes to be eclectic and not tied to any specific style or time period, which I think worked in the production's favour.
TN: It did; there seemed to be an overarching feeling of haphazardness - but in a way that really worked. The general aesthetic felt organic, raw and arbitrary, which definitely helped to highlight the theatricality: it was as if the 400 year old text and world of the play was being created anew.
TS: I actually watched a few clips of previous RSC productions of the play, and they definitely all have very different takes on the text. I really loved how the costumes and set heightened the themes of community and performance, along with the (incredible) puppet used to depict Hymen at the conclusion, and the musicians being present on stage for most of the performance. What did you think of the use of music?
TN: I particularly liked the piece they used when Orlando first entered the forest and asked audience members to join him towards the end of Act One. It was interesting as I felt this scene really heightened the play before the interval. They created a really engaging end to the first act - it definitely left me wanting more!
You mentioned earlier about the Star Wars and Game of Thrones music - were there any other pieces of music that you particularly enjoyed?
TS: Emily Johnstone, who played Amiens, has a lovely voice, and I enjoyed her songs a lot; I remember the music that soundtracks the appearance of Hymen being really good, too!
TN: Ah, yes! She was incredible. It seems from her programme biography that her work has been mainly Shakespearean, but I’d love to hear her in a musical, too! Johnstone also doubled as the gender-swapped Le Beau, who had difficulty walking on the grass in high heels to great comic effect. It added to the sense of ‘play’ and theatricality when actors played multiple roles. Perhaps most notable was Antony Byrne as both Duke Senior and Duke Frederick. I really enjoyed his on-stage transition between the two parts, yet it could potentially add to the already confusing character list Shakespeare tends to present! How did you find this?
TS: Not being familiar with the play, the double-casting tripped me up a bit at first, but it makes a lot of sense to do it in a production that homes in on the themes of performance, with the actors playing double roles in the same way that Rosalind was in the story. Antony Byrne really nailed the contrast between the cold, distant Frederick and the much more folksy, personable Senior; I think the entire cast was great, and delivered the dialogue in a way that was much more natural than I was expecting.
TN: I like your observation of the double-casting mirroring Rosalind’s deception. I imagine it also helps with the ensemble who appear in all three plays in this touring season.
Rosalind’s energy was particularly striking. I loved Helen Mirren’s portrayal in the BBC film, yet Lucy Phelps in this production brought it to new heights. She never seemed to stop moving!!
The only particularly troubling part for me is the sudden change in personality in Oliver, Orlando’s brother.
TS: Lucy Phelps was incredible, I found her so compelling; in a lot of ways, she carried the thematic thrust of the show, since Rosalind both spends the play performing and challenging Orlando's (also played brilliantly by David Ajao) ideas about love at first sight, I theme that I found really interesting coming from a Shakespeare play! (Also, when she was in disguise as Ganymede, she gave off some very Tilda Swinton vibes, which I'm always a fan of!)
I think the incident that causes Oliver's change of heart happening off-stage made it a hard sell, especially given how awful he is in the first act!
TN: In this production, Oliver presented as a creepy, slimy man; almost ‘pathetic’ and overtly jealous. This was an interesting contrast to the frightfully tyrannical Oliver of the BBC version.
TS: That's really interesting; again, it's a testament to both the enduring quality and malleability of Shakespeare's work that the same character can be portrayed so differently while using the same script.
TN: Absolutely. RSC productions are endlessly creative; I admire how they successfully adapt and mould Shakespeare’s work for our times. Overall, was there anything in particular that stood out for you as a highlight?
TS: Well, Touchstone had an iconic look and got some great laughs with his ad-libs and interactions with the audience (I think my favourite was when he took a seat in the front row while the seat's occupant was on-stage,) but I feel like the undeniable highlight was Lucy Phelps, whose performance ties everything together so well. How about you?
TN: The overarching theatricality and audience interaction was gripping. It really celebrated the communal spirit of performance art; it was a humbling and magical experience.
I’m very excited to see what they do with their version of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ as part of this current touring repertory.
‘As You Like It’ is next performed at the Theatre Royal Plymouth on Thursday 20th February (7.30pm). 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'Measure for Measure' are running at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth until Saturday 22nd February. The tour next visits Nottingham, Newcastle and Blackpool.
Tim Norman and Thom Skews, February 2020
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