As You Like It is Coming to Maynardville

Witness good triumph over evil in this summer open-air Shakespeare play in Cape Town

As You Like It, Shakespeare’s most Mozartian comedy, opens at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre in early January 2009 for the 55th annual summer season.

Set in the Forest of Arden, a magical land where fools philosophise, broken hearts are mended and good triumphs over evil.

Under this fabled canopy of trees love stories suffuse the air: love at first sight, bawdy love, besotted love and especially honest, tempered love. Disguise and mistaken identities abound.

All the world’s a stage for Rosalind and her entourage as they revel in the simple life and in Nature where love notes grow on trees.

Young Orlando dreams of freedom from his tyrannous brother. Rosalind yearns to be reunited with her banished father, but after just one glance these two have eyes only for each other.

When they meet again in the Forest, a disguised Rosalind plays matchmaker for everyone else without revealing her own desires.

This deftly layered, love-embracing production features an all-star cast directed by lauded Shakespeare director Geoffrey Hyland (Maynardville: Macbeth 2004, Twelfth Night 2006).

Under his direction will be Lika Berning (Rosalind), Gys de Villiers (Duke), Claire Watling (Audrey), Mark Elderkin (Touchstone), Nicola Hanekom (Phoebe) together with a full cast.

The technical team consists of Dicky Longhurst (costumes), Daniel Galloway (set), William Baker (music), Jay Pather (choreography), Faheem Bardien (lighting).

As You Like It brings love and hope alive … as funny as it is touching and entertaining. Unabashedly romantic and flat-out funny, As You Like It celebrates the joy of losing your heart and finding your soul.

As You Like It opens on Saturday, January 10. Special priced previews are scheduled for January 7, 8 and 9 at 20:15 and family shows on January 12 and 13 at 19:45 – two-tickets-for-the-price-of-one (2 for R100 or R140)!

Special performances for learners and students take place on January 19, 20, 26, 27, 28, February 2, 3 and 4 at 19:45; the remaining Thursday to Saturday performances are open to all patrons at 20:15.

A special Valentine’s Day performance takes place on February 14 with lots of prizes to be won!

The 21 January performance is a fundraiser, and all proceeds will go towards building a new home for the children of Bathandwa – a small children day and night care centre in Khayelitsha which looks after 31 children.

The current home is much too small and for the last two years we have been fundraising to get a new place of safety (a home) built for the children.

As You Like It at Maynardville Open-Air Theatre:

Date: January 10 to February 24 2009
Venue: Maynardville Open-Air Theatre | Wynberg | Cape Town
Cost: see above
More information: 021 421 7695

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