Our production of As You Like It was set in the swinging sixties and featured an array of hippies in the Forest of Arden. The show had the following cast:
Orlando – Eifion Melnyk-Jones
Adam – Ken Eason
Oliver – Adam Daniels
Jaques de Boys – Steven Kitson
Charles – Alex Page
Silvius – Jack Hurst
Touchstone – Robin Bailes
Duke Frederick / Oliver Martext – Peter Clyne
Duke Senior – Chris Hindley
Corin – Tony Dutton
Jaques – Peter Simmons
William – Paul Gaskell
Amiens – Mike Milne
Rosalind – Sylvie England
Celia – Emma Miles
Madame Le Beau –Bernie Parsons
Audrey – Amelia Hodgson
Phebe – Abigail Sage
First lady (forest) – Becky Gilbert
Hymen – Karen Morgan
The production, directed by Chris Hudson, was very well received by audiences in the sweltering July heat and received a glowing review by Mike Levy on Local Secrets:
Confident production with added flower power
‘As you like it’ or ‘If you like it’? The play’s fool Touchstone, makes a wise remark about the power of that word, ‘if’. The director Chris Hudson, whose production is currently showing at Cambridge's ADC Theatre until Saturday 13 July, sets Shakespeare’s zany comedy firmly in the flower power world of the late 1960s.
The ladies of the court are in their Mary Quants, and later, in the Forest of Arden, the woodland folk are kaftan-wearing hippies, Jacques, a mournful Goth. This is a simple but rather brilliant idea done with sensible restraint. There is something rather psychedelic in the Bard’s comedy of gender switching and disguise, a touch of the hallucinatory with more than magic
mushrooms amid the trees.
One of the magical elements of his production is the strength and depth of the cast. Given that this is largely a local community company, it is doubly satisfying that there is so much diverse talent out there. The casting was spot on with a totally convincing set of both leading and supporting actors. This applies crucially to the key players: the would-be lovers Orlando and Rosalind.
Sylvie England was outstanding as the banished maiden disguised for most of the play as a man. She has a real flair for the
physicality of the comedy – imagine a young Diane Keaton shrugging, preening making mock manly gestures whilst delivering crystal clear verse. She was equalled in talent and presence by Eifion Melnyk-Jones as the fiery-tempered but
hopelessly lovesick Orlando. The two created a rare chemistry that was a delight to watch.
Here was a production with great strength in depth with so many enjoyable performances. Emma Miles was the perfect foil to Rosalind as her close friend and confidante Celia. The two women played the comedy and humorous musings on the nature of love and sex with buoyant confidence.
There was yet more delight in the figure of Touchstone, the play’s motley fool. Dressed as a gaunt Sergeant Pepper, Robin Bailes brought real weight to the part with his awful puns, clever wisdom and pursuit of the rustic Audrey (nicely portrayed by Amelia Hodgson). Tony Dutton convinced as the down-to-earthy shepherd whose philosophy is sufficient for his world of ewes and pasture.
The consistent quality of this production was seen early on in the wrestling match between the callow Orlando and the burly bully, the professional mauler Charles (Alex Page in a 60s TV wrestling cossie). So well choreographed was this fight that there were gasps of sympathy from the audience as Orlando suffers some cruel blows.
The musical interludes didn’t quite have the confidence to match the rest of the production yet they contributed to what was a remarkably adept presentation. Though it was the first night, the actors seemed totally at home in their parts and there was a particularly fine moment when Jacques delivered his famous soliloquy against a subtle change of lighting creating a rather
magical effect.
One of the many satisfying elements of this production was the clarity of delivery and a real understanding of the wit and wisdom of this great play. It was good to hear many laugh-out-loud moments proving that despite the heat in the auditorium, the audience’s attention never wavered. Did they like it? No buts and ifs.
Reviewed by Mike Levy on Local Secrets, Wednesday 10 July 2013
Orlando – Eifion Melnyk-Jones
Adam – Ken Eason
Oliver – Adam Daniels
Jaques de Boys – Steven Kitson
Charles – Alex Page
Silvius – Jack Hurst
Touchstone – Robin Bailes
Duke Frederick / Oliver Martext – Peter Clyne
Duke Senior – Chris Hindley
Corin – Tony Dutton
Jaques – Peter Simmons
William – Paul Gaskell
Amiens – Mike Milne
Rosalind – Sylvie England
Celia – Emma Miles
Madame Le Beau –Bernie Parsons
Audrey – Amelia Hodgson
Phebe – Abigail Sage
First lady (forest) – Becky Gilbert
Hymen – Karen Morgan
The production, directed by Chris Hudson, was very well received by audiences in the sweltering July heat and received a glowing review by Mike Levy on Local Secrets:
Confident production with added flower power
‘As you like it’ or ‘If you like it’? The play’s fool Touchstone, makes a wise remark about the power of that word, ‘if’. The director Chris Hudson, whose production is currently showing at Cambridge's ADC Theatre until Saturday 13 July, sets Shakespeare’s zany comedy firmly in the flower power world of the late 1960s.
The ladies of the court are in their Mary Quants, and later, in the Forest of Arden, the woodland folk are kaftan-wearing hippies, Jacques, a mournful Goth. This is a simple but rather brilliant idea done with sensible restraint. There is something rather psychedelic in the Bard’s comedy of gender switching and disguise, a touch of the hallucinatory with more than magic
mushrooms amid the trees.
One of the magical elements of his production is the strength and depth of the cast. Given that this is largely a local community company, it is doubly satisfying that there is so much diverse talent out there. The casting was spot on with a totally convincing set of both leading and supporting actors. This applies crucially to the key players: the would-be lovers Orlando and Rosalind.
Sylvie England was outstanding as the banished maiden disguised for most of the play as a man. She has a real flair for the
physicality of the comedy – imagine a young Diane Keaton shrugging, preening making mock manly gestures whilst delivering crystal clear verse. She was equalled in talent and presence by Eifion Melnyk-Jones as the fiery-tempered but
hopelessly lovesick Orlando. The two created a rare chemistry that was a delight to watch.
Here was a production with great strength in depth with so many enjoyable performances. Emma Miles was the perfect foil to Rosalind as her close friend and confidante Celia. The two women played the comedy and humorous musings on the nature of love and sex with buoyant confidence.
There was yet more delight in the figure of Touchstone, the play’s motley fool. Dressed as a gaunt Sergeant Pepper, Robin Bailes brought real weight to the part with his awful puns, clever wisdom and pursuit of the rustic Audrey (nicely portrayed by Amelia Hodgson). Tony Dutton convinced as the down-to-earthy shepherd whose philosophy is sufficient for his world of ewes and pasture.
The consistent quality of this production was seen early on in the wrestling match between the callow Orlando and the burly bully, the professional mauler Charles (Alex Page in a 60s TV wrestling cossie). So well choreographed was this fight that there were gasps of sympathy from the audience as Orlando suffers some cruel blows.
The musical interludes didn’t quite have the confidence to match the rest of the production yet they contributed to what was a remarkably adept presentation. Though it was the first night, the actors seemed totally at home in their parts and there was a particularly fine moment when Jacques delivered his famous soliloquy against a subtle change of lighting creating a rather
magical effect.
One of the many satisfying elements of this production was the clarity of delivery and a real understanding of the wit and wisdom of this great play. It was good to hear many laugh-out-loud moments proving that despite the heat in the auditorium, the audience’s attention never wavered. Did they like it? No buts and ifs.
Reviewed by Mike Levy on Local Secrets, Wednesday 10 July 2013
