We round up the reviews for Sean Holmes & Charlie Josephine’s co-production of Shakespeare’s play.
Broadway World: “All this sets the stage for a freer approach from the directors – everyone’s still being watched, but the watchers are involved in the action as well. Lola Shalam’s take on Rosalind, perhaps Shakespeare’s most finely crafted female character, highlights her open pursuit of sexual desire, and hints at the gender euphoria the character might feel when dressing as Ganymede. There’s a sense that this Rosalind knows exactly what sort of story she’s in, and is willing to manipulate its tropes for her own ends.”
London Theatre.co.uk: “I’ve seen more wistful accounts of this play and certainly more moving ones, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the pell-mell energy that can agreeably accommodate Phoebe Naughton’s Audrey, a wench here born to work a room; Peter Bourke’s infinitely touching (and well-spoken) old Adam; and Thomas Josling as an unusually likeable Oliver, Adam’s master, whose behavioural about-face remains one of the most startling in all drama. (A shoutout, too, to the clarion-voiced Jordan Rhys as the late-arriving Jaques de Boys, an important stop on the story’s route from riven families to wholesale restoration.)”
Everything Theatre: “Throw aside any preconceptions about what Shakespeare is, or fears about the language, and let this company sweep you up into their chaotic, funny and joyful world.”
The Reviews Hub: “As You Like It is co-directed by Sean Holmes, who brought us last year’s Wild-West-style Romeo and Juliet with Lola Shalam as a similarly forthright and feisty heroine. The directors have worked together several times, including on last winter’s effervescent Pinocchio, with Josephine adapting the original text into a gleefully irreverent comedy, and before that on Josephine’s fabulously empowering queer Cowbois, which premiered at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Swan Theatre in 2023. This now feels like a powerhouse team, simultaneously celebrating Shakespeare’s poetry and the contemporary stories they can tell with it.”
Theatre & Tonic: “This is a fun, fierce and fabulous production which will catapult the scorching heat of summer into your Autumn cosiness. The audience absolutely roared with delight in this show, and the high spirits of the cast were equally reflected in the audience, who were laughing throughout. If you enjoy light hearted comedies, fantastic actors and a joyful night out then this is the perfect show for you.”
All That Dazzles: “The play’s most famous line, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’, may feel like a modest brag, but this production has a great deal to be proud of in its comic and heartfelt ambition. It falls just short of being as successful as I would have liked.”
Time Out: “Globe deputy Holmes is just very good with Shakespeare’s comedies and finding a nice halfway point between the Bard’s sensibilities and more ironic modern ones. In fact I wondered if this production was going to be more difficult, given it’s popping up so late in the season, when the Globe often puts more challenging fare. But not a bit of it – this As You Like It is a burst of late summer sun.”
Theatre Weekly: “In this production I felt that the direction adopted a scattergun approach with a sense of forced but inauthentic, audience-pleasing, bawdy jollity (such, in other productions at this House, can work, and has worked, wonderfully) and some of the company seemed to lack the ability to properly project their vocalisation of the words.”
West End Best Friend: “Overall, the production is a crowd-pleaser performed wonderfully, but doesn’t quite land on a premise, and under-delivers on some interesting ideas, leaving some scenes feel a little awkward. It is a fun summer evening out that delves no deeper.”
London Theatre Reviews.co.uk: “The balance of comedic folly and romantic soppiness results in an entertaining frolic in the woods. Broadbent’s Touchstone is immediately enjoyable with just the right amount of audience engagement erring on the tasteful side of pantomime, whilst Joesphine’s love-sick protagonist is suitably pathetic. Yet somehow, they remain likeable.”
London Theatre 1: “This is Shakespearean comedy of the highest quality, very much as we like it and very much as you will like it too.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/as-you-like-it/