The company of the RSC's all-male As You Like It lined up on a pink carpet in Stratford-upon-Avon for press night, and Jonathan Groff and his fellow cast members were joined by a guest list running from Russell T Davies and Russell Tovey to members of the Heartstopper cast.
Hot pink walls, the RSC logo repeated in mint green, and the whole company lined up in two rows: that was the picture on Tuesday 6 October 2026, the night As You Like It opened to the critics at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The company has now released its photographs from the evening, which catch Jonathan Groff and his fellow cast members out of costume and in high spirits, with the creative team alongside.
The guests came from theatre, television and film. Russell T Davies was there, as were Russell Tovey, Joanne Clifton, Samantha Spiro, Alfred Enoch and Lia Williams, and several members of the Heartstopper cast made the trip to Stratford-upon-Avon too.
On stage, RSC co-artistic director Daniel Evans has cast Shakespeare's comedy entirely with men. Tony Award winner Groff plays Rosalind, with Fisayo Akinade as her cousin Celia and Elliot Barnes-Worrell as Orlando. Greg Haiste is the clown Touchstone, Gary Wilmot doubles as the rival brothers Duke Frederick and Duke Senior, and RSC Associate Artist Richard McCabe is back with the company as Jaques.
The first production images landed on the day itself, and we ran them in our first look at Groff as Rosalind. The reviews have since arrived, and what the critics made of the night, including the stoppage when the set jammed for more than an hour, is gathered in our review roundup. The RSC's pack also holds three scenes we had not published before, below.
As You Like It plays the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon until Saturday 7 November 2026, with tickets from £10.
