Creation in Oxford University garden for family-friendly summer shows

Creation Theatre Company: As You Like It and Treasure Island

at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

until Saturday, August 17

Review by JON LEWIS

CREATION Theatre Company have a new venue for its summer offerings – the gardens of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

Lucy Pitman Wallace’s production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Gari Jones’ revival of his 2015 comedy version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island make for a pleasurable few hours.

Performing under a tarpaulin tent so that it’s weatherproof, and splitting the rep company into two, both shows give the actors opportunities to showcase their skills.

There’s joyful music throughout – Alex Silverman’s lyrical and melodic songs for Shakespeare’s meditative comedy, sea shanties and a multitude of musical instruments for Treasure Island.

In As You Like It, Emily Woodward stands out with her quick wit and delicious facial expressions, perfect for the heroine Rosalind and her disguised alter ego Ganymede.

As Rosalind weaves a plot to steal kisses from her potential husband Orlando (James Bradwell), so Woodward’s intelligent insights into Rosalind’s confident juggling of her potential spouse, an unwanted lover, the shepherdess Phebe, who thinks she’s a lad, and her manipulations of another woodland couple, become central to the play’s success.

She performs harmoniously with Ailsa Joy’s sexy cousin, Celia, who falls for Orlando’s older brother Oliver (Anna Tolputt in Reservoir Dogs mode).

As Melancholy Jacques reciting the seven ages of man speech, Anna Tolputt brilliantly begins her lines lying down, as a baby, and then for each age, raises herself until the wobbly depiction of old age.

It’s rare to do something different with Shakespeare’s most famous set-pieces. Tolputt also gets plenty of opportunities to show off her delightful singing voice.

Treasure Island removes all traces of menace and aims at a fun experience for younger children.

Props such as rubber rings, bubble guns, a jolly glove puppet parrot and, for the battle scene towards the end, a giant soft ball fight including most members in the audience, ensure that the enjoyment quota is high.

Nicholas Osmond makes for an unusually caring, salty baddie in Long John Silver, while Hayley Murray is a delightful, wide-eyed heroine Jim-Jemima learning to swash and buckle.

Two family-friendly shows for the summer.