REVIEW: Shakespeare in the Ruff’s Pastoral brings As You Like It into our unstable present, Theater News

How do we balance our responsibility to the natural world with responsibility to our loved ones? 

For their 15th anniversary season, Shakespeare in the Ruff returns to Withrow Park for another fun and entertaining reimagining of Shakespeare’s work which asks just this question. The new comedy Pastoral, written by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), picks up two years after Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The characters have since returned home from the Forest of Arden: Rosalind (Reese Cowley) has regained the Duchy and is back in court, living with her husband Orlando (Jeff Yung) in married bliss. Oliver (Norman Yeung) and Celia (jonnie lombard) remain happily married as well, with Celia serving as the doting housewife while Oliver grows his business. 

But all is not as it initially seems. When an earthquake threatens Arden — the site of their original love story, and on their wedding anniversary no less — Oliver and Celia journey back into the forest to find the source of the destruction and save their families and friends. 

Although the play is a sequel to As You Like It, Shakespeare’s play is not required viewing (or reading) for Pastoral. Shakespeare in the Ruff aims to make their productions as accessible as possible, with PWYC tickets, closed captioning, and an opening address by team members offering visual descriptions and a recap of relevant plot points from As You Like It. Ho’s text is full of further Shakespearean references and nods, leaving plenty of Easter eggs for Shakespeare-familiar audience members to discover. 

The play keeps much of the original setting but adds in select pieces of technology (such as iPhones and leafblowers), and references to the GTA and our local political situation. Ho’s script dances masterfully between contemporary and Shakespearean syntax, relying more heavily on today’s slang for levity, while using Shakespeare’s language to provide extra weight in particularly moving scenes, such as a moment in the middle of the play when Jacques comes into his own and embraces his destiny. 

The five person cast allows the script to sing — they move between the two linguistic registers with ease. Asher Rose is particularly moving as Jacques, beautifully showcasing their character’s journey as he moves from melancholic fool to determined usurper. Yung is also terrific as Orlando — his mannerisms and facial expressions devastatingly capture the experience of childlike naivety hardening in the face of reality. 

Along their journey, Rosalind and Orlando encounter Jack the Lumberjack (also played by Yeung) and shepherdess Becky (also played by lombard). The cast shines during these comedic sequences, with Yeung getting lots of laughs as he stomps around the forest, singing his lumberjack song and chopping down trees. 

Amelia Blaine’s set and Warona Setshwaelo’s direction take full advantage of the park setting. At the beginning of the show, Orlando’s love letters to Rosalind cover the two willow trees that frame the playing space. As the show goes on, the notes come down and the trees become the Forest of Arden. Sitting near the front, I found myself fully immersed in the action, with the actors walking into the audience, asking people for favours (and phones). The intimate setting also made Louisa Zhu’s fight choreography incredibly impactful, as the two characters grappled a few feet away from where I was sitting.

Ho’s play touches on a variety of contemporary societal challenges, including the ecological crisis, uneven gender roles, and forced displacement, but offers no solutions. Instead, through a reworked version of the famous “all the world’s a stage” monologue, it reminds audiences of humanity’s relative unimportance. From the big bang, to now, to what comes after our extinction — the universe has its own path. While humans may have an impact, it is arrogant to assume we control it all. Perhaps, our task is to do our small part to change things for the better, while trusting that we cannot solve everything. 

Pastoral runs at Withrow Park until August 30. More information is available here.

Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Shivani Nathoo

Shivani (she/her) is an engineer and an interdisciplinary artist. Growing up, she floated between many mediums, including fibre and beading arts, music, and writing. As an adult, she carries this curiosity with her, continuously trying new things and growing her artistic practice. She was a participant of the Toronto Fringe’s New Young Reviewers program in 2025. She also runs the blog Arts in the City, where she publishes reviews and essays on the Arts scene in Toronto. She is passionate about equity in the arts and STEM, and an avid fan of live performance. When she’s not working, you can find her in the audience at a theatre or concert hall.

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