AS YOU LIKE IT

Theatre Royal Bath

3 stars

There are times when a theatre critic is stymied. Sometimes there are, quite simply, no strong reasons for avoiding a show - but at the same time, there is nothing that makes it any way commendable either. And there, in a nutshell, is the Peter Hall Company's presentation of Shakespeare's As You Like It at Bath.

The production has some pleasant aspects. Rosalind, the fast-talking cross-dressing heroine, is played by a fresh new arrival on the theatrical scene, Ms Rebecca Hall. Now before cynics everywhere begin to tut and aspiring young actresses whose fathers aren't grand hommes of the theatre heave embittered sighs, it should be pointed out that although Ms Hall is indeed Sir Peter's daughter, she earns her place on stage regardless of her paternity by giving one of the more exciting and memorable performances in this anodyne consommé. Admittedly, she has a tendency to inject a little too much contemporary drawl into her delivery, but she does engage completely with the lines and thus draw in the audience. She shares with Michael Silberry (as the jester Touchstone) and Philip Voss (playing the melodramatically melancholic Jaques) the ability to make Shakespeare sound fresh and new, as though the characters were actually making these words up on the spot rather than merely reciting them off the printed page. This is in stark contrast to the formalised delivery favoured by other actors - including Rebecca Callard as Rosalind's cousin and companion Celia - who are self-consciously 'doing' Shakespeare with extreme care and caution, as if handling the fragile holy relics of English Literature. In their scenes together, there is an uncomfortable dissonance between Ms Hall's living Shakespeare and Ms Callard's careful taxidermy of the Swan of Avon.
Now in a run-of-the-mill production, one would tend to blame the director for not rectifying such discords. When directing a classic work when even the most confident performer can freeze in the glare of an overfamiliar text, it is particularly important to make sure that the actors speak the lines well. Yet this is no ordinary director - this is Sir Peter Hall. It might therefore be excusable if the great man overlooked these more workaday aspects of directing whilst wrapped up in blinding flashes of inspiration. But if that were the case, one would expect to see those blinding flashes on the stage, and there are sadly none. This is a production which does nothing beyond the purely prosaic delivery of a Shakespearean comedy. The essence of the production is summed up perfectly by John Gunter's very acceptable but utterly uninspiring set: it's set in a forest, so you get tree trunks - a stolid backdrop to an uninventive production in which no aspect has either the strength or the conviction to make a lasting impression, either favourable or unfavourable. It is a textbook presentation of As You Like It, and as a result, about as exciting as a textbook.

Toby O'Connor Morse

Until August 30^th. Box office (01225) 448844