INTERVIEW: As Your Like It director Brendan O’Hea on As You Like It at the RSC’s Holloway Theatre; and working with his best mate, Judi Dench

I can understand why Dame Judi Dench is best mates with actor-turned-director Brendan O’Hea. Meeting him in an office at the RSC press department, he comes over as warm and friendly, charming and really funny. There’s a lovely gossipy edge to his chat, he seems genuinely interested and occasionally agog at what both he and I are saying. Sometimes the probe turns – becoming the interviewer as he earnestly seeks opinion and knowledge.

Quite a few things are revealed ‘off the record’. Even after our allotted time is up, he’s happy to chat some more, as he shares his infectious enthusiasm for Shakespeare, As You Like It, the cast, and his best mate Judi Dench. Below are the bits we could print.

Have you done much outdoor theatre before?

Yeah, I worked a lot at Shakespeare's Globe, I was there for 10 years.

As an actor I did a brilliant production of Henry VI, Parts I, II, and we took it to all the battle sites mentioned in that play. So Taunton, where a lot of men were killed, and then to High Barnet, and Tewkesbury, and that was quite something, knowing that there's all these kind of dead soldiers lying under the ground that we were then performing. That was a profoundly moving experience. I love outdoor theatre. You’ve got to know that a duck might land on stage, or that there will be a light drizzle.What’s wonderful is you can talk about nature and the trees, and there are the trees; and you can hear the rustle of the trees and the sound of the river, knowing that Shakespeare dipped his toe in that very water. I love the fact the audience come in and they feel that, they can hear that, they can smell that, so it feels very kind of multi-sensorial. The play is a great choice for the outdoors.

Tell us about the cast?

The first thing to say is it’s an actor-musician show. There are ten of them, and they are absolutely extraordinary and amazing, most of them play at least two characters. We’ve thrown a lot of things at them, but they’re a pretty resilient lot.

[Pauses to think] It’s so nice to do an interview and not have to pretend I like the product.

Does not liking your show often happen?!