SYNOPSIS

Rosalind's father the duke has been overthrown and is in exile, and Rosalind finds herself exiled in the forest of Arden too, disguised as a farm boy and with her loyal cousin Celia in tow.

Around them, various stories of love and attraction are played out. Touchstone the clown finds himself a buxom goatherd. Silvius the shepherd waxes lyrical to his unwilling love Phoebe. The exiled duke is quietly in love with his new forest home.

 Rosalind, too, has fallen - and fallen hard - for young Orlando, whom she's seen excel himself in a fight. It so happens that Orlando, too, is on the run in Arden. He meets a sharp-witted forest lad, who's willing to listen to his besotted moanings, and he opens his heart - not realising the slightly girlish boy is in fact his love, Rosalind.

And throughout, the cynical, melancholy Jaques keeps up a dry and tragic commentary. All the world's a stage, he says, and all the men and women merely players...