As one of Shakespeare’s comedies, As You Like It is perhaps better known for having a young cast at its centre, to enable the naivety of the characters to play out. So when a previous cast of the production return to the rehearsal room 40 years on, it is just the beginning of a new, yet familiar journey.

In short, Duke Senior has been exiled by his brother and takes refuge in the forest. Orlando sees Rosalind and instantly falls in love with her. Rosalind (Duke Senior’s daughter) is then also exiled and flees to the forest along with her cousin Celia and Touchstone, a fool. Rosalind disguises herself as the boy Ganymede and Celia as his sister Aliena. Orlando also flees to the forest after he hears of a plot by his brother to kill him. Here, Orlando encounters Rosalind as Ganymede and she challenges him to prove his love for Rosalind by wooing Ganymede. Elsewhere in the forest, there are various other forms of unrequited love but it all sorts itself out when Ganymede promises to conjure up the real Rosalind.

Omar Elerian directs as we are transported to something much more unique than The Forest of Arden, where time has indeed stopped and a reimagining has begun. Stripped back to basics, no set, basic props and barely any costumes, our focus is on the actors – the rest imagines itself.

Geraldine James is Rosalind, with Maureen Beattie as Celia. Their camaraderie and performances are sublime, capturing the irony of youth with the wisdom of age. Malcolm Sinclair as Orlando is a pleasure to watch. His portrayal has an ease to it that captures the audience from the start.

James Hayes as Touchstone is simply perfect casting. His comic timing and ad-libs are impeccable and his relationships with the other actors appear seamless as he moves from courtier to runaway. There is a particularly special moment in Act 2 between Hayes and Ewart James Walters which is delightful (no spoilers!)

A special mention must go to Christopher Saul who is covering the role of Jaques at extremely short notice. His demeanour and deliverance are ideal for the role and he gets to deliver one of the piece’s most famous lines with pause for thought.

The cast are supported by younger performers Hannah Bristow, Tyreke Leslie, Mogali Masuku and Rose Wardlaw, which gives the piece a more rounded feel to it and the presence of their trees and logs make for a playful atmosphere. The point Shakespeare was trying to make in this play was, after all, that in order to explore ourselves we have to play.

It’s an experiment into how an audience perceives ideas and how indeed we ourselves - as an audience - need to experiment to truly find ourselves. We are never too aged or too young or too naive or too experienced to find a joy in inhabiting our memories and make new ones.

Retold, reinvigorated, regenerated!

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

As You Like It plays at The RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon until 5 August, with further information here.