June again, and Oxford’s outdoor theatre is once again bursting into bloom. The question is, which of the many al fresco Shakespeare productions is the one to see? Creation Theatre make a strong case that it should be theirs. So they should, of course, this being their tenth anniversary season.

The enclosure in the woods in Headington Hill Park has an acting area stretching back about 40 yards into the trees – not only an excellent acting space but also an ideal set for the Forest of Arden. It also has the advantage over most college gardens of being (relatively) quiet and secluded, while still easy to get to from the town centre or from Headington. The facilities (including toilets, bar, blankets and hot food) are very satisfactory and there is a distinct festival atmosphere. I would, however, recommend hiring a Creation Theatre cushion (50p) as without one the outdoor seating can get a bit wearing.

Typically of Creation, the staging is spare but fairly spectacular, with rapid costume changes, a few pyrotechnics, and many musical interludes. The original songs have been replaced with agreeably silly song and dance routines of the cosy, jazzy variety. These are performed with such carefree, deliberate amateurishness that they become a highlight – as, presumably the originals were in their day – rather than, as so often, the embarrassing bit that no one really understands. The play is not pitched emphatically in any particular period – rather in a timeless holiday-hued dreamworld that is fairly appropriate for this gentle romantic comedy.

Rosalind is one of the less irritating of Shakespeare’s heroines, and Kirsty Dillon plays her with enthusiasm and a touch of vulnerability, carrying off the gender ambiguity unfussily. Amy Stacy creates an enchanting Celia, and Annabelle Dowler is an entertainingly vitriolic Phebe. Seamus Allen played the Fool with energy and panache: every word was exploited with attention. Meanwhile, Tom Peters and Justin Webb at times threatened to steal the show as various background characters. Orlando (Christopher Redmond) made the best of one of the classic straight-man roles in Shakespeare – managing not to overdo it.

In the past, Creation performances have occasionally been a bit over the top. Now they are much more together and have a lighter, more confident touch, beginning to establish themselves as a truly great theatre company. This production should be one of the highlights of Oxford’s summer.

Al Wilson 08/06/05