This December, Melbourne Shakespeare Company brings its production of As You Like It to the rose garden in St Kilda Botanical Gardens. With a short run time and several jukebox musical numbers, this production has a clear aim to be accessible for younger audiences and those unfamiliar with Shakespeare. While still maintaining the original language and being backed by a strong cast and superb production design, As You Like It is a show for everyone.
Entering the rose garden, the cast of As You Like It greet and banter with the audience through the pre-show. Some strum away on acoustic guitars and play percussion instruments. The environment is immediately very whimsical. When the show begins, the entire cast bursts into song. They first performed Roam by The B-52s (which is still stuck in my head as I write this) and Material Girl by Madonna.
This is, of course, rather surprising if you are walking in blind to a production by Shakespeare. But working these contemporary songs into the performance is all part of the goal: making it as accessible to as broad an audience as possible.
Earlier this year, when Melbourne Shakespeare Company put up an adaptation of Othello, it was a show aimed at audiences already familiar with the text, diving deeply into the themes to generate new perspectives and ideas.
Comparatively, As You Like It, directed by Annabelle Tudor, effectively does the opposite, truncating the original text into a 90-minute production. It strips away most of the subplots and abridges some scenes with musical numbers to give the audience a telling of the original that is as focused and direct as possible.
The decision to adapt the story in this way certainly pays off, because As You Like It shapes up to be quite the entertaining romp. These musical segments are even some of the best parts of the very entertaining show. The entire cast flexes their musical skills, even taking up instruments such as guitars, flutes and saxophones.
Getting properly into the show, we are introduced to the world of As You Like It, where the Duke Frederick (Emma Woods) has banished their sibling Duke Senior (also played by Emma Woods) from the kingdom.
Senior’s daughter, Rosalind (Kirby Lunn), is allowed to stay in the kingdom as she is best friends with Frederick’s daughter Celia (Luisa Scrofani). Rosalind meets Orlando (Harley Dasey), and they fall in love at first sight. But an enraged Frederik banishes Rosalind from the kingdom.
Now in the forest, Rosalind disguises herself as a man, and she and Celia are joined with the fool Touchstone (Jamie Garner) as they journey to find Rosalind’s mother. Little do they know that Orlando is also in pursuit of them, determined to find his love.
What ensues from here is a farcical comedy of lost lovers attempting to find their betrotheds as Rosalind and co encounter various colourful characters in the forest.
Special mention must go to the supporting cast. They include Emma Austin, Gareth Isaac, Imogen Rabbitte, Sebastian Li, Sonya Suares, Yuan Lu and Corey Saylor-Brunskill. Most of these performers play multiple roles throughout the show. The entire ensemble is incredibly strong, and the fun they have on stage is shared with the audience.
Staging the show outdoors in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens is hardly a choice treated as a second thought, either. The set, designed by Ishan Vivekanantham, fits itself around the garden and the pavilion in its centre. There’s a slick set change in the middle of the show to differentiate the kingdom setting from the forest setting.
The space is well utilised by the performers as well. During the scenes taking place on the main stage, the audience can see the other performers still in character moving through the rose garden in the background. This adds a layer of depth and texture to the performance.
The outdoor staging suits this production perfectly, as the audience is fully immersed in the forest setting. For the 7pm show, the entire performance is naturally lit, with the last bits of sunlight disappearing just as the cast take their final bows.
With a thoughtful consideration towards the young and uninitiated, Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s As You Like It is a perfect choice for a night out with friends and family. Bring along snacks and drinks and enjoy the show regardless of your familiarity with Shakespeare.
As You Like It is presented by Melbourne Shakespeare Company and runs to 21 December in the St Kilda Botanic Gardens. Enter the Rose Garden via Corner Tennyson and Blessington Streets, St Kilda Vic 3182.
Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1485432?
Website: https://www.melbourneshakespeare.com/as-you-like-it
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbourneshakespeare/
Photo credits: Nick Robertson
