A cast of 12 northern actors – including non-binary and disabled performers – has been drawn together from the worlds of stage, TV and film for a refreshingly bold staging of As You Like It in the Quarry theatre at Leeds Playhouse.
This exciting Northern Broadsides and New Vic Theatre co-production challenges us to imagine a new future. Capturing the sheer joy of live performance and the power of love to change the world, this interpretation embraces Shakespeare’s timeless themes of love, gender, identity and power.
Set in the stylish but stifling court of an all-powerful duke, this visually spectacular production sees high-spirited Rosalind and her devoted cousin Celia escaping in disguise into the forest, where they engage in an elaborate game of fluid identity with Orlando, Rosalind’s recent object of affection.
“People adopt new names, new clothes and new lovers,” said Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director of Northern Broadsides. “They experience new feelings and dive into them willy-nilly, they play many parts and make many entrances and exits. It’s as if everyone has stepped through the wardrobe into another world but not without taking a lot of fabulous clothes with them.
“Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, this feels the most restorative, opening up the possibility of making a new world based on open-hearted acceptance of each other and living in harmony with the natural world. This feels like a play for our time, challenging us to imagine a new future that is more playful, accepting and connected.”
As You Like It is at Leeds Playhouse from 18-21 May.
Box office: 0113 213 7700
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