The Bard goes bawdy in this giddy romp of a production Kirsten GrantSun, August 23, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC 0 Gracie OddieJames as Celia in As You Like It at Shakespeare’s Globe Marc Brenner Next month, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will make history by staging its firstever allmale production of As You Like It. It stars Broadway stalwart Jonathan Groff and is already creating a buzz.
The Bard goes bawdy in this giddy romp of a production
Kirsten GrantSun, August 23, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
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Gracie Oddie-James as Celia in As You Like It at Shakespeare’s Globe - Marc Brenner
Next month, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will make history by staging its first-ever all-male production of As You Like It. It stars Broadway stalwart Jonathan Groff and is already creating a buzz. But before that, the Globe rounds off its summer season of comedies with a crowd-pleasing spin on Shakespeare’s pastoral romp about four pairs of lovers running around in the woods – with disguises adding confusion to the mix. Even if it doesn’t always convince emotionally, this pacy production, which leans into the play’s bawdy humour, is still rambunctious fun.
Co-directors Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine (who also plays Orlando) have created two visually distinct worlds. Before the characters flee to the idyllic Forest of Arden, the action begins in Duke Frederick’s stifling, corrupt court. We first meet Rosalind – whose father, Duke Senior, was usurped – with her cousin Celia, barely able to move in their tall wigs and pastel Georgian gowns. The rest of the decadently dressed court pose in tableaux against the blank canvases which fill the back of the stage; their continuous presence adds to the claustrophobia.
When we shift to Arden – with characters lounging around carefree munching on apples – trees (and blossom when the lovers unite) are painted onto the lifeless canvases. The effect is oddly distancing, and never for one second did I feel immersed in a forest setting.
Paul Wills’s striking costumes are more successful. Amid the dingier rustic clothes worn in Arden, new arrivals Rosalind, Celia – whose sheltered view of how a shepherdess might dress is a cross between Marie Antoinette and Bo Peep – and the court jester Touchstone look hilariously out of place in their disguises.
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In terms of the performances, the highlight is the gossipy rapport between two female friends, with Gracie Oddie-James’s spirited, breezy Celia teasing an uptight Rosalind (Lola Shalam) about her crush on Orlando. The pair share some of the show’s funniest moments. With comically exaggerated expressions, Oddie-James is a scene-stealer, which is refreshing given that Celia often feels so sidelined.
Lola Shalam performs as uptight Rosalind - Marc Brenner
It’s a shame, then, that the central romantic pairing never ignites. Left uneducated by his brother, Josephine’s laddish Orlando – with an Estuary accent – sticks out like a sore thumb in the aristocratic court. That characterisation could work, but it’s hard to understand why Shakespeare’s most intelligent female character would fall for this rather gormless and ultimately passive figure. Barely able to contain her sexual desire, Shalam’s forceful Rosalind – in disguise as “Ganymede” – takes the reins in this essentially one-sided relationship, badgering a clueless Orlando into proving his love.
There are some noteworthy performances elsewhere. Peter Bourke as Orlando’s frail servant is a particular highlight; his clarion delivery outshines those whose lines are drowned out by aeroplanes flying above the theatre. Touchstone can be a grating, tedious character, but Jonnie Broadbent – who for some reason spends almost the entire play half-naked – wins a good chunk of the laughs, especially in his lusty displays with Phoebe Naughton’s goatherd Audrey.
Holmes and Josephine’s staging doesn’t concern itself with As You Like It’s emotional depths. (Katherine Pearce’s Jaques is less melancholy and becomes a rather understated figure.) Instead, peppered with audience sing-alongs and folk music, this evening of “rustic revelry” will send audiences out on a giddy high.
Until Oct 25 at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: August 23, 2026 at 05:36PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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