Imaginarium Theatre Company are a long established arts organisation based in Prescot, offering an
extensive programme of youth and community opportunities. They perform annual touring
productions including a Summer Shakespeare play; in this case, they reprised
their 2016 version of the Bard's most enduring pieces, one which is
particularly well suited for the great outdoors. Fortunately, the weather was
lovely and Crosby Hall is an ideal setting for what is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays.
How
fabulous it was to see live theatre again after such a long time! Artistic
Director Gaynor La Rocca introduced the company at the end of the show and
talked about the challenges experienced in trying to prepare a full-on theatre
production in the middle of a global pandemic!
There
was a simple but effective set of 5 vertical platforms placed in a semi-circle
and covered in ivy to represent the Forest of Arden. This made it easy to hang
love poems on as love-struck Orlando (Joseph Harding) does when he later finds
himself in the forest. There were also hiding places embedded within the tree-like structures which I thought was clever and made the audience laugh whenever
cast members appeared.
At
the beginning, we see Orlando as he bemoans his lot to long suffering, obedient
maid Anna. He argues with his older brother Oliver (Conor Burns) who engineers
for Orlando to fight the Duke's prize wrestler Charles (Luke Woolhouse) the
following day. Oliver's cunning plan is that Charles will easily overcome and
kill Orlando.
In
the next scene we meet our heroine Rosalind (Robyn La Rocca) and cousin Celia
(Faye Draper) who have a very strong, almost sister-like bond. They both long for
romance, although Celia is by far the more reserved. They attend the wrestling
bout and are absolutely delighted to witness Orlando's unexpected and thrilling
victory over Charles. Rosalind and Orlando meet for the first time and are
immediately smitten with each other. However, troubled times lie ahead when
Rosalind is banished by the Duke. She and Celia decide to make it an adventure,
changing their names and, in Rosalind's case, her gender. It is no surprise to
later see Orlando go off in hot pursuit.
I won't describe more of the plot with its multiple layers and comic confusion but instead, I will focus on what was a thoroughly enjoyable evening for the large audience; picnics were encouraged, with just a small amount of refreshments available due to COVID-19 restrictions. It was good to see that many families were in attendance. In my opinion, this is a show suitable for children from around 7 upwards. It was very helpful that you could hire chairs as I did. I was made welcome and found a good spot from which to view the action.
There
was excellent attention to detail; in particular, the period costumes and
especially the jester's outfit worn by Touchstone (Francesco La Rocca). On a
number of occasions, we also came across a band of musicians in the forest,
reminiscent of Robin Hood and his merry men. They all sang and played
appropriately stylised folk music and were the perfect accompaniment to the
wedding scene at the end of the play. The 'melancholy' Jacques (portrayed superbly by Holly Blue) delivered
the very famous “All the world's a stage...” speech with aplomb and the
ensemble cast were full of energy and vigour throughout. Something I always
look out for when watching theatre is the commitment of actors to their roles
and this cast didn't disappoint. Furthermore, good projection and clarity when
delivering Shakespearian pentameter and prose is essential and everyone did
well in this respect.
Overall, I can definitely recommend the production which is also being presented at Royden Park, Court Hey Park and Sudley House Gardens later in August; full details are on Imaginarium's website, including a ticket booking link.
Reviewer - David Swift
on - 1/8/21
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