Jonathan Groff to debut with Royal Shakespeare Company in As You Like It

Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff is set to make his debut with the Royal Shakespeare Company, taking on the role of Rosalind in an all-male production of As You Like It. 

The production will be staged at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the RSC’s upcoming season.

Groff, currently starring as Bobby Darin in the Broadway musical Just in Time, will begin rehearsals under director Daniel Evans. The production marks not only Groff’s first collaboration with the RSC but also his first professional performance in a Shakespeare play.

To prepare for the role, Groff has been working closely with renowned voice coach Patsy Rodenburg, focusing on Shakespearean verse, iambic pentameter, and selected sonnets. The actor described himself as a “blank slate,” emphasizing that his training for the role is entirely job-specific, much like his preparation for previous Broadway performances.

Evans praised Groff’s musical theatre background, noting that performers experienced in rhythm and rhyme often transition naturally into Shakespeare. The all-male staging will explore themes of identity and gender fluidity, central to the play’s narrative, in which Rosalind disguises herself as Ganymede in the Forest of Arden.

The production forms part of a wider RSC season that blends classical revivals with contemporary adaptations, reflecting the company’s strategy to attract diverse audiences while maintaining its Shakespearean roots. Additional casting and season details are expected to be announced in due course.