The Jeremy Brett Archive

Jeremy Brett on Stage

As You Like It
National Theatre production at the Old Vic Theatre
Opened 3 Oct 1967
Closed 17 Feb 1969
Role: Orlando

William Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It at times has been called a subversive play that exposes the instability of gender roles and traditional values. The play questions matters of gender, rank and social order.

The play includes Rosalind, one of Shakespeare’s greatest comic heroines, and the the plot involves Rosalind donning a masculine disguise and becoming a young man named Ganymede.

The National Theatre Company's production of As You Like It took the matter to quite another level, as director Clifford Williams decided to use an all-male cast. These were not high-voiced boys -- as used in Shakespeare's time -- but grown men.

Williams said his aim was to investigate love in an atmosphere of spiritual purity that transcends sexuality. "The results could have been objectionable or hilarious," a New York Times reviewer noted, "but they are merely poetic."

Reviews were mixed, but critics largely agreed the production was bold. The New York Times reviewer was most glowing: "As You Like It is fantastic, one of the most dazzling, sheerly enjoyable Shakespearean productions I have ever seen."

He also praised Ronald Pickup as Rosalind -- as well as his leading man: "Within a minute or two you forget that this lanky, touching figure is a man (although he makes no effort to disguise his voice) and you see him as a soul in love. ... Mr. Pickup is fortunate to have such a sensitive and expressive Orlando as Jeremy Brett."

This was Jeremy's first role with the National Theatre after having rejected Sir Laurence Olivier's previous overtures -- Jeremy had instead gone to Hollywood to be in My Fair Lady.

After finishing with Any Just Cause, Jeremy attended a dress rehearsal for another National Theatre production. At the time, he knew that Orlando had not yet been cast and coveted the role. He cut a fringe in his hair -- to look the part -- and walked up to shake Olivier's hand. Olivier roared with approval and offered him the role as Orlando.

In addition to the controversial all-male casting, the play had other challenges. Early in the play, Jeremy and another actor had to wrestle for more than two minutes without a word of dialogue to sustain the scene. This action was so robust that Jeremy broke his nose during one performance. Olivier paid to have it fixed, but Jeremy joked that "my new-shaped nose gives my face character at last."

THE PLOT AND GENDER BENDING

In As You Like It, Rosalind is the daughter of an exiled duke. She falls in love at first sight with Orlando, a young gentleman at court who has just defeated Charles, the duke's wrestler, in something of a death match.

Orlando is equally smitten with Rosalind, but before things can go any further, they are forced from the court. Orlando leaves after being persecuted by his brother, and Rosalind is banished by the new, evil duke. She flees to the Forest of Arden, disguised as a young man named Ganymede.

Here's where the National Theatre production could get verrrry confusing...

Rosalind -- as Ganymede -- encounters Orlando in the forest and pretends to counsel him to cure him of being in love. Ganymede says he will take Rosalind's place and he and Orlando can act out their relationship. (OK, so at this point we have a male actor, playing a woman, who is disguised as a man, who is pretending to be a woman. Got that?)

Meanwhile, several love triangles and quadrangles have broken out and several characters wrangle over who is in love with whom.

Finally, Ganymede resolves the problem by having Orlando promise to marry Rosalind. Ganymede later reveals him/herself as Rosalind. That enables the rest of the relationships to shake out in satisfactory fashion.

In addition to Ronald Pickup as Rosalind, other actors playing female roles included Charles Kay as Celia and Anthony Hopkins as Audrey. Jeremy's best friend, Robert Stephens, played Jacques to great acclaim.

The play was very '60s -- with Carnaby Street fashions and synthetic stage materials making up the Forest of Arden.