The whole world has heard of Shakespeare if they have any knowledge of "western" history. He's just probably the most famous real person after Adolf Hitler. Hell, a movie written about the death of his son based on ZERO re-searchable information other than he had a son who died young, just one an Actress an academy award! And if you asked anyone to name a play that Shakespeare had written, I would bet you dimes to donuts that they would name a Tragedy. Probably "Romeo and Juliet," then I'd go with "Hamlet" or "Macbeth". If you pressed them for a History, most people couldn't and those who could would probably say "Richard" or "King Richard" missing the actual title "Richard III". Calling for a comedy would probably yield better results. The likeliest answer would be some butchering of his most difficult play title to get right. Of course, I'm speaking of "A Midsummer's Night Dream".
In all of this "As You Like It" probably wouldn't come up at all. Yet of all of his comedies, I think it is most accessible. Especially, if you just do a quick pre-presentation tutorial on the roles and their relationships to one another. It's a fun play, with lots of opportunities for slapstick, audience participation and song.
Joy is the word. No matter how the overall production goes at Folger Shakespeare Theatre, when it's a comedy, it's always full of joy. Because I really like this play, I've seen it now 3 times. Of those, this production was my least favorite, but I didn't not enjoy it. It was just a little uneven. The concept of setting it in Washington, DC was "meh". I mean, we're in fucking Washington, DC already! And aside from a scrim in the beginning with a projection of the capitol dome (which is also across the street from the theater!!) and the homage to the "columns" at the National Arboretum on the cover of the program, it was only a vehicle for the costume designer to play with. Now, IF the Arden woods was dressed to look like the National Arboretum's "Columns" memorial? That would have been great.
In spite of this, the actors brought the joy. I commend especially, Tsilala Brock as Rosalinda who had her best moments in the guise of the boy, Ganymede, but nonetheless rose above those around her to establish a presence worth following. Manu Kumasi was a delightful Orlando, engaging and empathetic in turns. and Ahmad Kamal as Touchstone. He seemed to take on responsibility for the success of the entire production engaging the audience with a gusto that was leading. He opened doors for others to walk through.
In the end, any Shakespeare to see at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre is an intimate experience as close to the real deal as you're likely to get short of the New Globe in London. The house reeks with gravitas and easily transports you to a special place--one where anything is possible. Seeing a show there is always worth the price of admission. Which brings me to my next point. There are four seats on either side of the entrance which are considered "obstructed view". They only require one to lean forward to see anything that might be obstructed. They cost $20. I always purchase one of these. The seat beside me costs $86. The seat in front of me costs $108. At $20, I can feel a little disappointed without feeling regret for coming!
