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Vanessa Osborn’s Rosalind is a delight not to be missed as Southend Shakespeare Company summer tour open-air production of As You Like It moves around the county at weekends throughout July.
In fact, in this clever production by the experienced Peter Finlay it is one of the most charming and delightful Rosalinds I have seen in recent years.
As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies with its rich poetry including the much quoted Seven Ages of Man and some of the most attractive songs in the Bard’s repertoire.
Yet its plot is thin and can appear disjoined and until the banishment of Rosalind and her close friend Celia to the Forest of Arden is slow to take off, In fact, the appearance of the two girls really picked the play’s pace right up with their beautiful acting fluidity and their assuming of the characters of a young man by Rosalind and a Bo Peep-like country maid by Madeleine Ayres' Celia.
From then on the fun waxes fast and furious with Rosalind already bewitched by Orlando, well played by SSC stalwart Andrew Sugden having delightful passages in disguise with her equally bewitched lover and beautifully taunting him as a man and yet still hanging on his every word.
One of the bonuses of this open-air production is the clear speech of the whole cast with Andrew in the lead for clarity, an essential for open-air work.
But there are many more good things in this production than the excellent work of the principals and Peter Finlay’s clever production centering all the action around a country stile, for Ian Downie seems to age before our eyes as he pushes his barrow full of horse manure in following Orlando and ending up with Andrew pushing the aged follower in the barrow as he tires.
Then there is John Newell’s Touchstone, who has a rhyme to counter every story and produces quite a few laughs and in the second half with Julie Carter’s voluptuous Audrey really finds his own happiness.
James Carter’s dapper, worldly Jacques makes the most of his Seven Ages of Wisdom scene, while young Haydn Cox makes a good job of the famous songs as Amiens and Elena Clements deserves a special mention for her nice little cameo and speech of love as Phebe.
The whole production has a lovely finale and a happy ending around the maypole and on the night I saw it in Southend’s Priory Park the Forest of Arden really came to Southend with the birds singing and finally the moon rising over the trees.
As You Like It is playing at various venues during the coming weekends. Please check the SOSAC calendar for times and changes and if in doubt phone the SSC on 01702 473172.
JOHN GILES
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