A radio broadcast blares across the theatre: “The Duke Frederick has just overthrown his sister Duke Senior in a massive coup, he now controls all of Australia!” Wait… Dukes, coups and Shakespeare all in Australia? This is As You Like it performed by Nash Theatre. Filled with contemporary Australian references married with this classic Shakespeare comedy, Nash Theatre’s version of As You Like It sounds like it could be a hilariously good time. Which it is, for the most part.
Opening with a leadership coup in Australia that is oh so familiar, the villainous Duke Frederick played by Mathew Hobbs keeps the contemporary Australian theme alive by being a not-so-subtle wink to our own ex-PM Tony Abbott. Eating raw onions, ranting about dual-citizens, terrifying his entourage, and other perfectly timed jokes, Matthew Hobbs portrayal of Duke Frederick is both fantastically funny, and menacing at the same time. Things begin to get a little weird with some of the other jokes. Things became awkward during moments, but fortunately these moments were only reduced to the smaller characters like PT Charles, and Touchstone. They don’t ruin the play, but they do give some awkward moments that could have been left out.
Orlando played by Ewan Jinks was incredibly enjoyable to watch. You could genuinely feel his affections for Rosalind, played by Meg Bennet. The two had fantastic chemistry on stage and produced a very genuine, but hilarious, love story. Celia, played by Bianca Butler Reynolds, deserves a special mention. Her character had incredible presence on stage, with some funny jokes, and a lot of witty banter.
While As You Like It had some awkward moments, it definitely was enjoyable to watch. With some great actors and extremely funny jokes in a contemporary Australian setting. This play is a great watch for all who enjoy community theatre and Shakespeare.
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