As You Like It
8th September 1977
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, RSC
This production opened at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on 8th September 1977. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, with John Caird assisting but when the production moved to the Aldwych Theatre in London with a considerable change of cast, Caird graduated to ‘with’ status.
For the Stratford production only, the play opened with an operatic ‘masque’ scene, composed by Stephen Oliver, featuring the characters of Fortune, Nature and Hymen. This was cut for the Aldwych revival, which opened on the 5th September 1978.
The London revival was the first time Nunn and Caird worked in tandem on a production, their next proper co-productions being Merry Wives of Windsor in 1979 and Nicholas Nickleby in 1980.
As You Like It
| Written by | William Shakespeare |
Stratford Creative Team
| Directed by | Trevor Nunn |
| Designed by | John Napier |
| Lighting by | John Watts |
| Music by | Stephen Oliver |
| Musical Staging by | Gillian Lynne |
| Wrestling Match arranged by | Peter Woodward |
Stratford Cast
| The De Boys household | |
| Oliver, eldest son of Sir Roland de Boyes | Charles Dance |
| Orlando, his younger brother | Peter McEnery |
| Adam, servant | Jeffery Dench |
| Dennis, servant | Michael Bertenshaw |
| The court | |
| Duke Frederick | John Rhys-Davies |
| Celia, his daughter | Judith Paris |
| Rosalind, his niece | Kate Nelligan |
| Monsieur Le Beau | Graham Crowden |
| Touchstone, a fool | Alan David |
| Charles, the Duke's wrestler | Jack Klaff |
| Lords | Dominic Jephcott / Roy Purcell |
| The Duke's Bodyguard | Michael Bertenshaw / Bille Brown / Pat Connell / David Shaw-Parker |
| Court Ladies | Jill Baker, Roberta Tayler |
| The Forest | |
| Duke Senior, the banished Duke, Rosalind's father | Oliver Ford-Davies |
| Jaques | Emrys James |
| Amiens | Michael Bulman |
| Forest Lord | Morris Perry |
| Foresters | Dominic Jephcott / Roy Purcell |
| Corin | Edwin Richfield |
| Silvius | Ian Gelder |
| William | David Shaw-Parker |
| Phebe | Lynsey Baxter |
| Audrey | Ann Holloway |
| Sir Oliver Martext, a Puritan | Paul Imbusch |
| Pages | Andrew Coonan / Alberto Fernandez / Owen James / William James |
| Rustic Girls | Jill Baker, Roberta Taylor |
| Jaques de Boyes, the second son of Sir Roland de Boys | Billie Brown |
| Hymen | Michael Follis |
| Hymen’s Attendants | Jill Baker / Roberta Taylor |
| Gods | |
| Nature | Michael Bulman |
| Fortune | Ann Holloway |
| When this production toured to the Theatre Royal in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in February 1978, the part of Silvius was played by Dominic Jephcott. | |
| David Hobbs played the roles that had been played by Dominic Jephcott. | |
Aldwych Creative Team
| Director | Trevor Nunn with John Caird |
| Redesigned and Adapted by | Quentin Thomas and Gemma Jackson |
| from the original design by | John Napier |
| Music by | Stephen Oliver |
| Musical Staging by | Gillian Lynne |
| Lighting by | Stewart Leviton |
| Wrestling match arranged by | B. H. Barry |
| Assistant Director | Mark Dornford-May |
| Assistant Choreographer | Patrick McIntyre |
| Stage Manager | Giles Barnabe |
| Deputy Stage Manager | David Grindrod |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Michael Townsend |
| Sound by | Roland Morrow / John A. Leonard |
Aldwych Cast
| The De Boys household | |
| Oliver, eldest son of Sir Roland de Boyes | Charles Dance |
| Orlando, his younger brother | James Laurenson |
| Adam, servant | Jeffery Dench |
| Dennis, servant | Roger Martin |
| The court | |
| Duke Frederick | John Burgess |
| Celia, his daughter | Cherie Lunghi |
| Rosalind, his niece | Charlotte Cornwell |
| Monsieur Le Beau | Paul Imbusch |
| Touchstone, a fool | Alan David |
| Charles, the Duke's wrestler | Jeffrey Kissoon |
| Lords | Omar Ebrahim / Rory Edwards / Mike Hall / Roger Martin / Ian McNeice / Peter Tullo |
| The Duke's Bodyguard | Omar Ebrahim / Rory Edwards / Mike Hall / Roger Martin |
| The Forest | |
| Duke Senior, the banished Duke, Rosalind's father | Oliver Ford-Davies |
| Jaques | Emrys James |
| Amiens | Michael Bulman |
| Forest Lord | Mike Hall |
| Foresters | Omar Ebrahim / Rory Edwards / Roger Martin / Peter Tullo |
| Corin | Edwin Richfield |
| Silvius | Peter Clough |
| William | Ian McNeice |
| Phebe | Jane Carr |
| Audrey | Ann Holloway |
| Sir Oliver Martext | Paul Imbusch |
| Pages | Paul Ellison / Christopher Fitz-Gibbon / Simon Henderson / William Smoker |
| Rustic Girl | Deirdra Morris |
| Jaques, the second son of Sir Roland de Boys | Iain Mitchell |
| Gods | |
| Hymen | Omar Ebrahim |
Aldwych Musicians
| Music Director | Gordon Kember |
| Flute / Recorder | Jeremy Barlow |
| Oboe / Recorder | Willam Grant |
| Bassoon / Contra Bassoon | Peter Whit. taker |
| Violin | Gillian Springate / Richard Spingate |
| Cello | Avis Perthen |
| Trumpet | Peter Cameron / Roderick Tearle |
| Horn | Brian Newman / Duncan Hollowood |
| Trombone | Paul Barrett |
| Timpani | Tony McVey |
| Spinet | David Norris |
Aldwych Production Staff
| Head of Wigs and Make-up | Lucy Coghlan |
| Chief Stage Technician | Alf Davis |
| Property Manager | Terry Diamond |
| London Music Director | Gordon Kember |
| Wardrobe Master | David Kitchenham |
| Production Manager | James Langley |
| Chief Lighting Operator | Michael Lansdale |
| London Manager | Patricia Leary |
| Chief Lighting Engineer | Stewart Leviton |
| Deputy Head of Wigs and Make-up | Ray Marston |
| Production Assistant | Maggie Roy |
| Box Office Manager | Peter Skinner |
| London Repertoire Manager | Frank Stevens |
| House Manager | Sama Swaminathan |
| Production photographs by | Sophie Baker |