A talented young cast bring boundless energy and invention to this 21st century adaptation of Shakespeare’s charming yet problematic early play. Reduced to a single 80-minute act, with sharp repartee, upbeat music on guitar, bass, violin, and sax, the show is set in an open square under flashing lights, very much in the mood of a contemporary pop musical.
According to the publicity note from the RSC, this new version of the play is intended as an introduction ‘for families’. Cynics might call it Shakespeare for short attention spans. But the critical question with any interpretation must be: ‘Does it bring the original text to life?’ The answer here is an emphatic ‘Yes’.
The plot centres on the close friendship between two young men, Valentine (Jonny Khan) and Proteus (Lance West), and their competing desire for Sylvia (Sian Stephens). It features passion, betrayal, disguise, escape to a forest, forgiveness and repentance, themes and situations developed more deeply in later plays. In this version the two ‘Gentlemen’ and the women they aspire to appear as young adults, little more than teenagers.
Director Joanna Bowman’s approach makes perfect sense of the turbulent emotions, the struggles against parental control and the spirit of adventure which propel the four principals towards maturity. Three of the actors are making their RSC debuts, and all perform with astounding versatility. The action moves a little too fast to allow for any sustained depth of feeling in the performances, but there are heart rending moments when Julia (Aisha Goodman) shows the anguish of love betrayed. Among the more experienced performers, it’s worth singling out Tom Babbage, whose comic timing and elastic gestures command the stage as the acrobatic clown, Speed, and Sylvia’s hapless suitor, Thurio. Humans aside, the real showstopper is Lossi the dog as Crab, the ‘cruel hearted’ dog who refuses to weep on leaving home with his master Lance.
The set by Francis O’Connor is simple and bold, using changes in lighting and a metal bridge spanning the stage. This works for the tower where Sylvia is imprisoned, as well as for the upper level of the forest. Costumes are striking and inventive, speaking brilliantly to character; an old, stained mackintosh for the servant Lance, a silver Elvis style catsuit for Thurio in wooing mode. Sylvia prances seductively in glittering, emerald hot pants, and Julia dances onto the stage with her sparring partner in sports gear and boxing gloves. None of it quite hangs together, but the overall effect is gloriously zany.
Changing the ending of Shakespeare’s plays is a vexed question. Here the company omits one critical moment, thus maintaining the overwhelming theme of forgiveness but avoiding the sudden and surprising twist that makes the final scene so difficult for 21st century spectators. The decision works well and there is no sense that anything valuable is lost.
Quite a few children were present on press night, and the novel interpretation seemed to go down well. It will be interesting to see how the approach works in October with the RSC’s proposed family friendly King Lear.
★★★★☆ Ros Carne 14 August 2025
With thanks to StageTalk Magazine
Photo credit: Helen Murray