This season Penguin Audiobooks and Arkangel Shakespeare continue to present the popular complete Shakespeare series.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From AudioFile
Disguises, word play, and mistaken identity abound in this sophisticated tale of love and loyalty. Rosalind, exiled by her wicked uncle, meets Orlando in the Forest of Arden. They fall in love, but confusion ensues because of her male disguise. By the time the curtain falls, reconciliation and forgiveness blossom, and all is well. Another play in the fine Arkangel Complete Shakespeare series is performed by accomplished British players. Stephen Mangan and Niamh Cusack are especially strong as the lead characters. The original music and singing give the production a true theatrical feel. Liner notes include a good act-by-act summary of the play. P.B.J. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lively reading but one or two faults on Arkangel recording,
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This review is from: As You Like It (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare Series) (Audio Cassette)
The Arkangel series' <As You Like It> has only one rival set but a formidable one. that one is put out by Harper Collins and stars Keith Michell, Vanessa Redgrave and co-stars an appropriately dry-voiced Max Adrian as Jacques and a lively-voiced Stanley Holloway as Touchstone. In general, and this is true of most of this new series, the Arkangel actors seem a lot younger (the Jacques of Gerard Murphy perhaps too much so) and give a more modern (i.e., less lyrical) reading to the text.I think the Arkangel might appeal more to younger listeners, but both sets are quite good and it would be difficult to choose between them. Niamh Cusack is a quite believable Rosalind, while Stephen Mangan (Orlando)does what he can with a rather silly role, although he does miss a good moment in his blandly delivered retort to the Wrestler about mocking him too soon. I could wish Clarence Smith's Touchstone had a bit more "character" in his voice. Victoria Hamilton is quite charming as Celia. I was quite taken with the almost Ronald Coleman voice of Philip Voss as Duke Senior. The music, neither Elizabethan nor modern but more like American western, is nevertheless appropriate. The singers on the older recordings, however, have far superior voices. An annoying feature is the tendency to overdo the sound effects. Once we establish a woodland or a garden by a few bird tweets, it is really unnecessary to continue them over the dialogue as is done here. Since the director's choice in these recordings is to have no narrator to supply stage directions, the listener without a text can get quite lost during all the references to "you" and "you" in the denouements of the last scene. Perhaps they can take a hint from the Branagh recordings on Bantam and simply have the character call the addressee by name. Here we do get some non-verbal sounds from the other actors by way of identification, but they are of minimal use. Of course, since this series is near completion, it is too late to suggest a change in policy. But please take note, future directors.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cassette vs. CD,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: As You Like It (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare Series) (Audio Cassette)
Again when asked to write a review for this product, it was listed as a CD! It arrived as a cassette. I returned it unopened.
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