The Stage

As You Like It

Published Friday 23 July 2004 at 15:00 by John Hannam

The odds were against the Groundlings company at Stansted Park. They started this open-air production ten minutes late, played the first half in continuous rain - with the audience sheltering as best they could - and suffered a short lights failure. The latter came, amazingly, at a rather fortuitous time, which they made the most of.

They overcame all these obstacles to effortlessly create another superbly acted production where teamwork is the keystone. As You Like It, not one of Shakespeare’s greatest moments, does not stand up to a modern day setting as well as a number of his others. The period dress is clearly missed and seeing a shepherd in a suit tests the imagination. As usual, the Groundlings produce a high energy performance and manage to extract every comedy situation and more from the Bard’s work. With the elements against them, on this particular occasion, lines about sun and rain were even more relevant. When James Lavender, as Touchstone, forced his top hat on that had filled with water, it brought the house down. A nice touch of instant farce.

The principals, including Claire Wardle as Rosalind, Aubrey Woodruff’s Celia and Robert Cann in the role of Orlando are all quite superb but for many the courting scene between Touchstone and Audrey (Helen Oakleigh) is one of the show’s most enjoyable moments. Many other memorable and unexpected delights come from Ralph Mondi as Oliver, Peter McCrohon as the wonderfully camp Le Beau and Paul Lancaster as Adam/Jaques de Bois.

Completing the admirable cast are Emma Lucas, Jon De Ville and Tim Molyneux.