I don't think it's Elisabeth Bergner's fault that her performance so completely obscures the character of Rosalind. She is the focus and heart of the play, probably the most admirable woman character in all of Shakespeare's plays. But this production turns the role into farce and misses the point that she is a powerful personality. She is a person in control of herself and of the other characters and the plot. Thanks to the "treatment" of the play by J. M. Barrie who appears to have consulted and unfortunately controlled the production we have Peter Pan playing the role. Mr. Barrie did a wonderful thing in creating Peter Pan but it was a dreadful mistake to try to transplant him/her to this play.
The other characters were OK and it is interesting to see Olivier so young. Too bad he didn't have the vehicle he deserved. It might have been a very memorable production.
The other characters were OK and it is interesting to see Olivier so young. Too bad he didn't have the vehicle he deserved. It might have been a very memorable production.