As You Like it at Royal Hospital Chelsea

Travelling by bicycle – props, costumes and set in tow – to a theatre near you, the HandleBards have set upon delivering environmentally sustainable Shakespeare across the country, making a brisk London stopover in a sun-dappled cobblestone courtyard one mid-afternoon-like evening at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The play in question was the woodland-set farce As You Like It (a HandleBard version of Macbeth is presently touring elsewhere), capably and energetically tackled by a cast of four, freely alternating roles and genders.

When the front row’s summoned into the action (one attendee is tasked with essaying the play’s unexpectedly varied animal roles, among them a sheep in the height of lambing season), the vibes are, in their loose and freewheeling way, pleasingly redolent of the experience of the Globe. To complete that simulation, there’s a persistent stream of overhead flights failing to unmoor the performers’ rhythm, and unwanted romantic advances within the play are fled from down the seated aisles. Furthermore, there’s a gambit cheerfully borrowed from Monty Python, with the clippity clop of coconuts filling in for the falling of horse hooves, and groan-worthy puns galore (“I wanna hear you Midsummer Night Scream!”). Mileage may vary on whether these touches are overly gilding a lily that’s already plenty silly in itself, likewise for the interpretation of feuding brothers Orlando and Oliver as Gen X slackers of the “But dude……those are HISTORICAL. BABES!” variety. Nonetheless, it all moves at a confident clip and has fully settled into itself come the second of its two brisk acts, trusting more in the romantic rapture of the Bard’s words than in stunts.

Of the cast, Isobel Donkin’s earnest Rosalind is a standout, harmonising well both vocally and comedically with Sarah Bulmer as cousin and confidant Celia (there are intermittent musical interludes, but none are overbearing), and pushing Ros’s male alter ego to the swaggering hilt. Additionally, the extravagantly moustachioed Joel Benedict makes for an authoritative Phebe. Described by Judi Dench herself as “an arse-paralysing part” on account of her arrival so late in the game, Phebe nonetheless does much to invigorate As You Like It‘s homestretch, standing proud and resolute in her rejection of an overzealous suitor (Bulmer again). Here, Benedict grants even her foolhardy romantic bewitchment by non-existent Ganymede (really Rosalind in disguise) a graceful dignity, though whatever queerness may be embedded in the Bard’s text feels largely smoothed over in this iteration. Finally, Josh Radcliffe brings unabashed sweetness to lovestruck Orlando, haplessly pursuing Rosalind throughout.

Ultimately, though those unfamiliar with the play may initially be confused by the ever-revolving cast, they will never be able to fault their energy and commitment. This is a lively rendition, perfectly suited to golden hour summer evenings. Should you happen upon a nearby performance, you may find something closely approximating the travelling players of another era.