Review: AS YOU LIKE IT at the Stratford Festival is More Than Just a Delightful Escape

The 2025 Season of the Stratford Festival is officially open, and kicking it off is a delightful production of AS YOU LIKE IT at the Festival Theatre. Director, Chris Abraham has assembled a stellar cast to tell this story that brings lots of laughts as it explores themes of love at first sight, uncertainty, resilience, and transformation. With strong performances, exciting set and lighting design, original music by Ron Sexsmith, and at times, a very silly humour that many are craving right now, this production ticks all the boxes for an audience that just wants reassurance that we all can still love and laugh in our own trying and uncertain times.

AS YOU LIKE IT is a pastoral comedy that explores how people and love can transform and grow when faced with change and adversity. Banished to the Forest of Arden, several characters are forced to reinvent themselves – some more literally than others – as they adapt to their new reality. As a result of her brother usurping her thrown, the Duchess (Duke Senior in the original text) is banished, as is her daughter Rosalind. To go undetected in the forest – and also perhaps as a way to entertain themselves, Rosalind and her loyal cousin Celia decide to disguise themselves as a shepherd and shepherdess. It is while in her disguise as a man that Rosalind runs into Orlando, the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys, who fled to the Forest of Arden after being cheated out of his inheritance and denied a formal education by his older brother. Fooled by the disguise and thinking Rosalind is a male adolescent, Orlando confides in her his love for her. Trickery and hijinks ensue with this plotline and several others, in this strong ensemble piece filled with an assortment of quirky characters.

The Stratford Festival has mounted a production of AS YOU LIKE IT on 10 separate occasions, and if my research is correct, Seana McKenna, who portrays the Duchess in this production, has been in three of them. In addition to this current production, she understudied (and on some occasions, went on for) Rosalind in 1983, and in 2016, she portrayed Jaques, who of course utters the famous “All the world’s a stage” quote. When Aaron Krohn says the words “And one man in his time plays many parts” it is hard not to immediately think of McKenna, who has, quite literally done just that with this play alone. It is hardly uncommon for a veteran of the Festival to revisit a work of Shakespeare, and McKenna has done this with a few of the bard’s works - but the themes of change, disguise, and flexibility in this play make it fun to recognize that McKenna is slowly but surely getting the chance to play every part.

Rosalind is one of the most beloved of Shakespeare’s comedic heroines and in this production, she is portrayed by the always-excellent Sara Farb. Farb’s Rosalind is at times awkward, at other times clever, and at all times charming as she navigates her new reality, her silly disguise, and her growing infatuation with Orlando. Her subtle moments of physical comedy will make you laugh just as hard as the more blatant ones and her chemistry with her scene partners is undeniable.

As Orlando, Christopher Allen is also excellent. He brings an innocence and naivete to Orlando’s nobility and compassion. The juxtaposition between the physical prowess he brings to a wrestling match early in the play and the puppy dog eyes he gets when he thinks of Rosalind is disarming and sweet.

Making her Stratford debut as Celia, Makambe K. Simamba is a scene stealer. She and Farb make an excellent duo and play well off of one another’s comedic moments. The comedy in the way Celia observes the people around her allows us to immediately have an understanding of the character.

Steve Ross is a veteran of the Festival and this is far from his first foray into Shakespeare, but in recent years, he has become known for his prowess in the art of musical comedy, often portraying characters in musicals who more or less fit the ‘fool’ archetype. With those roles in mind, it is a joy to see him command the stage (and at one point, the audience) as one of Shakespeare’s Fools, Touchstone.

There are, in fact a few performers in this production who often turn up in musicals at the Festival (or perform gigs around town with their band) and so it was no surprise that Abraham’s vision of AS YOU LIKE IT leans into the musical moments.

In addition to great comedic moments, and a truly magnetic portrayal, Aaron Krohn brings his musicality to Jaques – a loyal lord to the Duchess, who is known for his cynical and melancholic observations.

Gabriel Antonacci plays guitar and sings beautifully as Amiens, and when Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane begins to harmonize with him, you almost want the play to pause for a little while so the intimate concert can continue! The power of music to transport you to a happier place, and the sense of joy and connectivity it can bring even in the most uncertain times is portrayed so beautifully here, as the audience is transported as well.

The beautiful music in this production has been composed by acclaimed Canadian musician Ron Sexsmith and by Thomas Ryder Payne, who is also responsible for sound design.

In addition to performances and music, other elements that lead to the strength of this production are the Lighting and Set Design. The Lighting by Imogen Wilson effectively moves us from scene to scene and helps shift tone when needed. The costumes and set design by Julie Fox immediately create both the world outside and inside the forest for us, letting us know that this is a more modern setting for this play, but focusing more on the contrast between the almost mystical forest and the cold, almost metallic outside world. When combined, the lighting and set design for the Forest scenes bring about a sort of magic and whimsy that set a fitting undertone for the different love stories that are blossoming.

Lately, with all the pain, stress, and uncertainty in the world around us, I find I instinctively look to all Art for either an escape or a message these days. What is beautiful about this play, is that the escape almost is the message. We witness a variety of characters lose everything, seek transformation and new beginnings, and despite the loss, uncertainty, and injustice that they face, we see them delight themselves in music, laughter, and one another, and in doing so, grow together into something new. This is most definitely a message I can get behind.

AS YOU LIKE IT continues in Repertory at the Festival Theatre until October 24th.