ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at The Old Globe
Some Shakespeare plays stir the soul. This one stirs the question: where are Helena’s friends? Because if she had any, they would not let her obsess over Bertram. The Old Globe gives “All’s Well That Ends Well” the royal treatment with glam costumes and a game cast, but that only goes so far in distracting from the lack of romance in this romantic comedy.
“All’s Well That Ends Well” starts with Helena, the lovesick daughter of a recently deceased physician, who cures the King of France and is rewarded with the right to choose any husband. She picks Bertram, a young nobleman and son of the Countess of Roussillion, for whom Helena works. Bertram marries Helena under protest, then sets her an impossible task before he’ll even consider her a real wife, and flees to fight in a war. The joke's on him; it turns out Helena loves a challenge.
The cast of All’s Well That Ends Well, 2025. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
Ismenia Mendes brings brains, warmth, and an awkward snort-laugh charm to Helena. Yes, she’s chasing someone who doesn’t deserve her, but Mendes makes her so watchable that you root for her anyway, though still questioning why. Angelynne “Ajay” Pawaan as Diana is luminous and clear-eyed, calmly sidestepping Bertram’s advances while helping orchestrate his downfall. Her final choice at the end might be the smartest one in the whole play.
Gabriel Brown has a warm and engaging presence, giving Bertram some dimension with flashes of regret and bold, if boyish, ambition, but the text gives him little to work with. One moment, he’s reluctantly realizing Helena might suffer from his plan, and then the next, he’s back to war, bed-hopping, and generally being the worst. His actions are all explainable; he’s young, impulsive, raised in privilege, has never given a thought to the women in an arranged marriage until the same is asked of him, but still, he’s an Elizabethan frat boy with a title.
The Countess, played by a stately Mary Lou Rosato, is sharp, regal, elegant, and with a quiet power. Her disappointment in her son Bertram’s action is palpable, entirely earned, and she’s not above plotting to try to right this wrong. Her scenes with the King of France, played by Tom Nelis, are winners. Nelis plays the King of France with gravitas and sparkle, especially once he recovers.
Arthur Hanket delights as Lafew, the sassiest French courtier this side of “Beauty and the Beast,” delivering sly barbs and handshakes that crush egos. Barzin Akhavan’s Parolles starts as Bertram’s hype man and devil on the shoulder and ends up hilariously humiliated yet oddly still sympathetic. His journey from pompous soldier to humbled fool is one of the production’s most effective emotional turns. He also delivers much of the show's ribaldry, helped along by Matthew J. Harris as Lavatch the Fool.
Judith Dolan’s costume designs are exquisite. Helena and the Countess of Roussillion’s first act mourning gowns are gorgeous and impeccably fitted. If you’ve ever seen a '90s rom-com, you know exactly who Helena is at the start: she wears glasses, has a braid, and is a little too bookish—classic undateable Nerd Girl. But by the end, she has ditched the braid and the glasses (and solved an unsolvable riddle), and voilà, Bertram is more interested.
(foreground) Ismenia Mendes as Helena and Gabriel Brown as Bertram with the cast of All’s Well That Ends Well, 2025. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
The King’s servants' livery includes black sheer shirts, with iridescent and fringed chainmail over them (or a colorful sash), which made me immediately need more backstory on the happenings in this court. The Countess’s wardrobe gets even more fabulous in the second act. (Please forward all Countess capes to my closet.)
Director Peter Francis James does his best to pull a satisfying arc out of a tangled tale, and the team surrounding him, especially Lawrence E. Moten III’s airy, versatile set and Sherrice Mojgani’s warm, elegant lighting, help create a beautiful frame for this picture.
The production is polished, the cast is excellent, and the direction is smart; yet, the more interesting story would be, what happens after the story ends to Helena and Bertram? A wedding (or is it a vow renewal now that she’s back from the pretend dead?) is less a Happily Ever After and more the start of the real story for this couple.
How To Get Tickets
“All’s Well That Ends Well” plays on the outdoor Lowell Davies festival stage at The Old Globe through July 6th. For showtime and ticket information, go to www.theoldglobe.org