Shakespeare’s funny and romantic pastoral comedy As You Like It comes to the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Quarry Stage from 17th September to 16th October. Directed by Ian Brown this classic play is set in the Forest of Arden, which has been recreated on stage by designer Ruari Murchison using trees sustainably sourced from a forest in Wales. Up and coming actress Vanessa Kirby takes on the role of Rosalind the lover, adviser and mistress of disguise.
Jealousy, rivalry and misdirection are rife in the court of Duke Frederick, a callous man who has usurped his brother’s throne. Meanwhile, in the Forest of Arden, home to the exiled Duke Senior, eight young and optimistic lovers, from both court and country, become immersed in a journey of discovery and self-realisation.
As girls become boys, ladies become shepherdesses and jesters woo goat herds, lessons in the complexities of love are learnt, and the forest’s natural powers seemingly heal the rifts which court life has carved out. Paving the way for a return to the city, weddings are carried out and Duke Senior is returned to his dukedom restoring peace to his land and securing happiness for the lovers.
Playing the lovelorn Orlando is Nathan Wright whose credits include the character of Hugh in the BBC’s recent television hit Being Human.
Tickets for As You Like It can be reserved by calling the West Yorkshire Playhouse Box Office on 0113 213 7700 or by visiting www.wyp.org.uk
