Review - Sydney Shakespeare Festival, As You Like It

Sydney Shakespeare Festival takes place in the Bicentennial Park in Glebe and what a superb setting it is; watching the performance with a backdrop of both the great bridges of Sydney. If you want a romantic night out you really can go passed this. There were a few couples cuddled up under the stars on Saturday night. But the festival is great for all friends and families, there were all there.  The picnic blankets were out (along with the fruit bats!), some even bought full lounge beds! It is BYO food and drink which everyone brought and nibbled at during the show. The scene was set, all we needed now was the entertainment.

I must say, I haven't seen As You Like it before and I didn't know the story,  but I had no trouble following this performance.  Considering the actors were competing with airplanes and birds, with no microphones and no huge lighting set it really was acting in the raw, and it was brilliant.
Sydney Shakespeare Festival is directed by Julie Baz closely supported by David Jeffrey, without these two the Festival just wouldn't exist which would be a huge shame.
The music was composed by Sarah de Jong. I really enjoyed the "sing song" melody it was very jovial and fitted well with the play and helped the calm romantic atmosphere of the evening. There was a short interval, which on a Saturday night, they are almost forced to have as Darling Habour erupts into a firework display!
All the actors performed well and seemed to enjoy the performance as much as we did. There was one actor that stood out which was Emily Elise as Rosalind, she really brought her character to life and was a joy to watch.
Book yourselves in for a great night of Shakespeare and for all you romantics out there it would be a good night to propose!
Children, people with disabilities and 'older' people can enjoy the night for free, for more info and booking go to www.sydneyshakespearefestival.com.au.