Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine's production of As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe brings a distinctly French aristocratic flair to the Bard's pastoral comedy, with costumes and wigs fit for Versailles giving way to plainer disguises as banished courtiers seek happiness in the countryside. The production, which runs until 25 October, prioritizes comic merriment above all else, earning praise for its originality and transformative magic.
Versailles-style court and comic disguises
The play begins its dress-up long before the characters enter the Forest of Arden, with Duke Frederick's court resembling that of Louis XVI's Versailles. The flamboyant gesticulations seem to belong to Molière, making it feel like a French period romp rather than traditional Shakespeare. Costumes become plainer and more earthy in Arden, suggesting that these characters live their courtly lives in a constant state of disguise, though the production likely leads with comedy rather than deep thematic exploration.
Rosalind (Lola Shalam) and Celia (Gracie Oddie-James) dispose of their enormous wigs and bustles in the glade, with Rosalind replacing them with simple yokel garb as Ganymede, while Celia still flounces in an exaggerated Little Bo Peep costume as Aliena. The aesthetic decision reflects the pomp of a court, setting the stage for the gender and identity games that follow.
Comic highlights and commanding performances
Many aspects of this production soar high, including the comedy, sublimely eked out by almost every character. Touchstone (Jonnie Broadbent, bare-chested with lacy ruff) is a comic highlight, while Jaques' (Katherine Pearce) "All the world's a stage" speech is quietly moving. Shalam delivers a commanding Rosalind, full of charm and cheek, carrying the romance with both arch and excitable passion.
Class delineations are made deftly through costume and accent but with no sense of overstatement. Orlando (played by Josephine) has an estuary accent pointing to his lowly position among his brothers and lack of schooling, while Rosalind and Celia look and sound aristocratic. This subtle distinction adds depth to the social dynamics of the play.
Set design and musical magic
The forest has a stripped-down nature, with whiteboard backdrops on to which trees are drawn, first bare-branched but slowly coloured in to bloom. Paul Wills' set design provides much of Arden's magic, along with the folksy musical accompaniment to Shakespeare's many songs composed by Katie Richardson. The occasional winding in of the audience feels clever too, including a sing-along that enhances the communal experience.
Despite these strengths, the production never quite conveys Rosalind and Celia's closeness. The two stand at opposite ends of the stage as Celia declares "thou and I am one" after Rosalind's banishment by Duke Frederick (Colm Gormley), but with a conspicuous sense of courtly performance that undercuts earnestness or intimacy. Similarly, Orlando's infatuated flutters for Rosalind as he nails his poetry to the trees are not fully felt; Josephine plays him flatly, with little variety, though their performance certainly amuses.
Subversive edges lost in comedy
Although the comedy entertains, it takes away the play's subversive edges, from the same-sex infatuation between Orlando and Ganymede to the alternative model for living that Duke Senior (also Gormley) encapsulates in exile, which seems a little lost among the fun. The production occasionally seems unclear in its action, but what you lose in narrative clarity you gain in hearty comic frolics.
Its achievement is ultimately this, along with its originality, which works a transformative kind of magic in itself, turning a familiar drama into something weirdly fresh. At Shakespeare's Globe until 25 October.
