Shakespeare's Masterpiece... 'As You Like It' at Yarmouk Cultural Centre

As part of the current season of the Yarmouk Cultural Center, held under the auspices of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, writer and director Hamad Al-Janaahi is set to present his latest theatrical adaptation of the renowned global playwright William Shakespeare’s celebrated comedy “As You Like It,” on November 18 and 19.

Speaking to “Al-Rai,” Al-Janaahi said the production will take the audience on a magical journey through one of Shakespeare’s most profound and entertaining plays, weaving together themes of love, identity, exile, friendship, radical transformation, and the human quest for freedom within the embrace of the “Forest of Arden.” He noted that the work draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s immortal line: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Al-Janaahi added that he is both the adapter and director of the production, which features a large ensemble of artists.

Al-Janaahi previously staged Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in collaboration with “One World Actors Center.” The production was produced by Alison Shan Price, adapted and directed by Al-Janaahi, with Nader Abdullah in the lead role, alongside a cast including Ryan Al-Awadhi, Sara Al-Khazzam, Ahmed Al-Awadhi, Hind Khazaal, Laila Al-Qadi, Fahad Awad, and others.

Written around 1611, the play revolves around magic, betrayal, love, and forgiveness. It is considered one of Shakespeare’s final works before his retirement from the theater.

Al-Janaahi’s most recent theatrical production was staged last January on the Yarmouk stage: “Antigone” (The Eternal Tragedy). Originally written by French playwright Jean Anouilh and first performed at the Théâtre de l’Atelier in Paris on February 6, 1944, during the German occupation, the one-act play reimagines the classical tragedy “Oedipus Rex” by the Greek writer and poet Sophocles.