As with his Twelfth Night four years ago, director Geoffrey Hyland has once again delivered the goods for Maynardville’s annual Shakespeare. His production of As You Like It is cheerful, light-hearted, funny and wholly appropriate for an evening diversion at this open air theatre. It will also go down well with schools, which is a vital constituency here.
Over the years Hyland has found an answer to staging Shakespeare in contemporary South Africa. In particular, when exercising his vision of the play, he does not impinge upon the work. He allows it to speak for itself without forcing too narrow a reading. Instead he uses multiple references as aperçus to the text. The challenge is to keep these cohesive and not shambolic. The fantastical world of As You Like It gives him this license. Thus we have hippy communes in the forests of Arden, African spirits and didgeridoo sounds; intuitive details that are not limitiary but apposite.
Many of the stalwart Maynardville actors are in the current production of The Tempest and Hyland has done well with a youthful cast; refreshing in this undemanding comedy, though some of the over-excited and peculiar squealing sounds from the cast lower the tone.
The night belongs to Guy de Lancey as Jacques, the melancholic traveller, who delivers all his speeches including “All the world’s a stage” with great finesse. Much of the comedy is carried by Mark Elderkin (Touchstone) who deserves to be singled out for his uncanny comic timing, and the subtlety he displays within an over-the-top interpretation of the character.
