The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

Lisa Ogun’ attended The Barbican in London to watch and share her experience of one of Shakespeare’s favourite love stories, As You Like It, presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). AS YOU bite theatre S omething Shakespeare does really well is write good love stories; stories that have inspired thousands of other stories worldwide, over the centuries, as he manages to capture our imagi- nations and toy with our emotions via the story being read, or in this case, watched. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) also per- forms the great Bard’s stories well; changing pub- lic opinion about watching Shakespeare, as there is something about how they perform his plays that not only feels modern, but fresh and relatable. Whether it’s by the well-cut Italian suits or modern-day jeans the actors adorn or today’s nuances of society, they perform as their characters or the diverse cast select- ed; RSC makes Shakespeare so accessible. All this at the famous Barbican Centre; world-class arts and learning centre, where it pushes the bound- aries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre, and visual arts. The Barbican Centre, London, is a short walk from both Moorgate and Barbican tube stations and renowned by its infamous step-like residential building architecture towering over it. I read As You Like It a long, long, long time ago, so had forgotten its main storyline of the folly of love, the imperative gender-swapping to fool as an unes- corted woman and the harsh reality of banishment and exile of those times. But Lucy Phelps, as Rosalind, alongside her love interest Orlando, played by David Ajao, and directed by Kimberley Sykes, resulted in a beautiful and colourful reminder, as both actors stole our hearts watching them fall in love, fool and be fooled (as those in love tend to be), and amuse us by their character’s characteristics. Added to all this was a giant articulated puppet, playing Hymen, at the end. Oh, what a treat and feast for eyes and the cul- ture-seeker in us, the audience! Sir Rowland de Bois’ death has meant that the ma- jority of his wealth has been left to his malicious son Oliver, played by Leo Wan, who was meant to look R oyal S hakespeare C ompany Sandy Grierson