Full Breakdown
Shakespeare’s Globe Revives “As You Like It” with Bold Design and Mixed Reception
8/24/2026, 12:39:06 AM
Production Overview
In the summer of 2026 the Globe Theatre presented a new staging of Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy *As You Like It*. The production was co-directed by Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine, who also performed Orlando. Set and costume designer Paul Wills created a bare-bones stage populated by large white canvases that were gradually painted to become the Forest of Arden. Musical direction and original compositions were provided by Katie Richardson, who also appeared onstage as Hymen. The run is scheduled to continue until 25 October 2026.
Key Creative Team & Cast
- Sean Holmes – co-director
- Charlie Josephine – co-director and Orlando
- Paul Wills – set and costume designer
- Katie Richardson – musical director, composer, and on-stage performer as Hymen
- Lola Shalam – Rosalind / Ganymede
- Jonnie Broadbent – Touchstone
- Colm Gormley – Duke Frederick, Duke Senior, and Corin
Design and Staging Elements
Wills’s set relies on a series of blank canvases positioned upstage; during the performance artists sketch and paint charcoal trees that later blossom into a full forest. Reviewers noted that the canvases were effective when the foliage appears, though some found the concept underused and still more white than colourful by the end. Costumes shift from opulent 18th-century court dress to simpler, earth-toned garb for the forest scenes. Richardson’s live folk-inflected music, featuring percussion, clarinet and saxophone, underscores the action, though opinions diverge on its integration with the dialogue.
Critical Reception
Positive Highlights
Touchstone’s physical comedy was repeatedly singled out as a standout, with Broadbent described as “truly hilarious” and “the show-stealer.” The evolving canvas forest was praised for its visual transformation, and Richardson’s musical direction was called “marvellous” for adding folk inflections and raucous percussion.
Mixed and Negative Observations
Other critics found the staging uneven. One review noted that the “court’s opulence” gave way to a “bare-bones” forest that “doesn’t work for me,” citing a lack of clear purpose for the live painting. The chemistry between Orlando and Rosalind was described as “lacking” and “rushed,” with Josephine’s Orlando portrayed as “flat” and Shalam’s Rosalind as “frantic” in the later half. Several reviewers criticized the direction for lacking a cohesive vision, calling the production “cluttered and confusing” and the pacing “unclear.” Jaques’s famous “All the world’s a stage” speech was reported as “rushed through dismissively,” diminishing its emotional impact.
Data & Statistics
- The production received a 2-out-of-5 rating from one reviewer.
- It runs through 25 October 2026.
- Accessibility provisions are scheduled for the following dates: audio-described performances on 10 September and 4 October; captioned performances on 16 September and 11 October; relaxed performances on a later date in September and 29 September; British Sign Language interpreted performances on 23 September and 18 October.
Official Accessibility Schedule
- Audio described: 10 September (scheduled), 4 October (scheduled)
- Captioned: 16 September (scheduled), 11 October (scheduled)
- Relaxed: later in September (scheduled), 29 September (scheduled)
- BSL interpreted: 23 September (scheduled), 18 October (scheduled)
Verbatim Quotes
- “I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry,” — Duke Frederick’s
The production blends ambitious visual and musical experimentation with traditional Shakespearean comedy, eliciting both enthusiastic praise and pointed criticism from the theatrical press.
