UNTIL AUGUST 30, BATH: As You Like It, Theatre Royal Bath. Comedy legend Eric Sykes, Best Newcomer 2003 Rebecca Hall and former TV Gladiator James Crossley are just three of the fifteen strong cast performing Shakespeare's As You Like It directed by Sir Peter Hall at the Theatre Royal Bath this August.

Filled with laughter, love and song, the play previews from Wednesday and runs until Saturday August 30.

As You Like It is the fifth and final play to be presented by The Peter Hall Company 2003 in Bath this summer and the cast also includes David Yelland and from TV's Peak Practice and Eastenders, Joseph Millson.

This will be the first time Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, has directed As You like It.

One of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, the play was first staged around 1600.

Rosalind and her cousin Celia have run away to the idyllic Forest of Arden. Dressed as a boy in order to divert suspicion, Rosalind comes across Orlando, who has already won her heart, pinning love poems to her on the trees. When she offers to cure him of his love sickness by letting him woo her as if she is his sweetheart, the stage is set for blind love to overcome one misguided fool after another.

The colourful mixture of hilarious country folk and witty courtiers who find themselves in the forest includes the clown, Touchstone and contemplative Jaques who makes one of the best loved speeches in all of Shakespeare's work, "All the world's a stage ".

Eric Sykes, who plays the roles of Adam and Sir Oliver Martext, is a legend from the world of film and television comedy and celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year. He has worked with most of the great British comedy talents of the past 50 years, starred in 20 films and appeared and starred in 200 episodes of The Eric Sykes Show on BBC.

In 1986 Eric was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. He recently starred in the film The Others with Nicole Kidman and has made guest appearances on television in Stan The Man, The Bill and Holby City.

Rebecca Hall, Sir Peter's daughter, plays the role of Rosalind in As You Like It. She also appeared as Barbara in The Fight For Barbara at the Theatre Royal Bath this summer, following her West End stage debut in the Strand Theatre production of Mrs Warren's Profession with Brenda Blethyn last year; a performance which received enormous acclaim and for which she won the Best Newcomer in the prestigious 2003 Ian Charleson Awards.

James Crossley plays the roles of Charles and William and is best known for starring as Hunter on the popular family TV show Gladiators and Joseph Millson who plays Orlando is probably best known for his role as Dr Sam Morgan in Peak Practice and recently created a stir on Eastenders as Jason, Lynne Slater's ex-finance.