Entertainment

Theatre Review: As You Like it

A pleasant way to spend a late spring evening, watching Shakespeare performed in the open air! The theatre Guild’s production of As You Like It works well in the amphitheatre-like space that is Pfitzner Court at the uni.

Presented by University of Adelaide Theatre Guild
Reviewed 17 Nov 2018

A pleasant way to spend a late spring evening, watching Shakespeare performed in the open air! The theatre Guild’s production of As You Like It works well in the amphitheatre-like space that is Pfitzner Court at the uni. Performed with no sets and sixties style costumes the pace was good and the relaxed atmosphere, with picnics and drinks, was very nice.

Director Megan Dansie is experienced with the Bard and it shows in her direction and casting. The live music by Phil Short on Guitar was a bonus. The warring brothers Oliver and Orlando were played by A.J. Bartley and Matthew Chapman, both doing justice to the text. Their love interests were Christina Devetzidis as Celia and Jean Collins as Rosalind. All four gave good performances showing clear understanding of the story and the humour. The interchanges between Orlando and Rosalind whilst she was disguised as Ganymede worked well. Bartley did well to show the two sides to his character whilst Devetzidis made Celia girly but not silly. Collins fresh from the Hills Youth theatre and the new Deadset theatre, was a fine Rosalind and delivered the closing speech well.

Matilda Butler is also another import from The Hills and Deadset and was well cast in the role of Phebe a shepherdess who falls in love with Ganymede (Rosalind’s disguise to escape the banishment of her uncle). Also notable was Guy Henderson as the fool Touchstone, delivering the wit with style and amusingly falling in love with the goatherd Audrey (Rebecca Kemp). Philip Lineton did well, first as Adam, a servant to Oliver and then as Corin the shepherd as did the other shepherd Silvius (Riordan Miller-Frost) mooning after Phebe. Dylan O’Donnell as Jaques delivered the most quoted line “all the world’s a stage” with conviction.

The cuts were well made and left an easy to follow plot which reached its conclusion in a reasonable time! It is a great way to enjoy and understand Shakespeare’s work.

Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds

Venue: Pfitzner Court Adelaide University
Season: 17-25 Nov 2018
Duration: 2.5hr
Tickets: $22 Full $18 Concession Groups of 10+ at Concession rate School Group discounts from 8313 5999 or [email protected] only
Bookings: www.trybooking.com/XUFF
Tickets on the door, cash only, subject to availability

 

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