Materials of performance

In 1973, Buzz Goodbody made her main-stage solo directorial debut with a production of As You Like It that was led by Eileen Atkins as Rosalind and Richard Pasco as Jaques. In what has become a familiar tactic in productions of this play, the strict, tightly-buttoned formality of the court scenes lent them a vaguely Edwardian than contemporary flavour, while the move to Arden released the lords and lovers into easy-going, casual-contemporary style. This was evident in the most remarked-upon of the production’s costume decisions, its liberal use of denim. The programme for the As You Like It concisely articulated both the production’s and the RSC’s position in the 1980s theatrical marketplace. Twelve years later, the scene would be given a more pointedly metaphorical colouring in Adrian Noble’s production, which was led by Juliet Stevenson as Rosalind, Fiona Shaw as Celia and Alan Rickman as Jaques.