REVIEW: As You Like It (Folger Theatre)

There must be a stipulation in the nonexistent Shakespeare estate that As You Like It must include some kind of musical element. It feels like only yesterday that Shakespeare Theatre Company dropped their version, which featured the Beatles and — inexplicably — a copious amount of wrestling. Folger, their former parent company, not to be outdone has now put on one of their own that features original music. It’s clear right from the aural shrapnel of an opening number that this might have been an afterthought; but what is less clear is what the before thought might have been.

Book

As You Like It has never been one of my favorite Bard comedies. You’d think it would be pretty high on the list, what, featuring the iconic “All the world’s a stage” commentary and its proto-drag storyline. But I fear that the pastoral pastiche never seemed to click. The show primarily follows the exile of Rosalind and her sister Celia to the Forest of Arden following a familial dispute in the royal court. To this degree, she takes the identity of a man known as “Ganymede” to aid in her hiding. Meanwhile, her lover Orlando searches the forest far and wide for her. What causes the brotherly fallout to begin with? Why does Rosalind feel the need to betrick her lover by feigning being a man? Why is Orlando so dense to not see through it? None of the silliness feels Shakespeareally relevant or deep, so AYLI never feels like a proper, canon-defining work. You can’t win them all, not even the Bard himself. 2/10

Production

This production has been devised as a love letter to the District, our fair city that exists as more than a political chessboard.

Not that you could tell. There are some shouts — the Wharf* mentioned, some talk of row homes here and there — but even at its most earnest, still feels more like a surface level “Washington” than a local’s “DC”. Were the vision simply shallow enough to stop there, it would be a letdown, but at least resolute. The disappointment in this production grows due to the fact there are some deep cuts that indicate the potential for more customization. Everyone seems to rock the burgundy and gold, everyone is wearing New Balances, and there’s even a go-go themed interlude. Those are the details that make Arden feel like Chocolate City, but appear as shoehorned entries among a show that truly doesn’t know what else to do with itself. The brutal staging and wily lighting do not seem to be in ambient communication, nor do the glitchy costumes feel emblematic of anything, much less the characters they drape. The boisterous Touchstone plays the role of influencer in this production, bringing out an audience interaction element that too seemed surprised to make an appearance. In so many ways, As You Like It is a collection of puzzle pieces from 15 different sets. 0/10

Acting

The performances do not help the case. On one hand, each individual performance maintains some degree of strength; I mean, with a local cast like this, it’s hard not to. Where they falter is the fact that none of them seem to be in the same show. Near-constant vibe mismatches feel like one is watching a hallucinatory photobash of a Shakespeare production, each enthusiastic performance talking to an alternate-reality version of the character they’re addressing. 1/10

Viz

Pre-show (and also during-show) the establishing set piece is a projection of the Capitol building. Yep, that’s where we are! Any other items?

…no? Alright then. No sounds over the aux, no other “DC” elements, just one singular projection greets the entering audience members. Now, I could look past this if there were a serious element of the District present in the production, but as there isn’t, this doesn’t have much sway on the remaining production. The program art continues the same theme, though it has much more of a flower-power energy than the show does (as in, it has any at all). It doesn’t feel represented in the final product, but eagle-eyed viewers might notice the columns being those from the National Arboretum. But that’s just one more part of DC-hood that doesn’t live its fullest life in the production. 1/10

Verdict

As You Like It cannot coalesce around a singular concept, even one as strong as our incredible city, creating a frustrating two-act take on one of the Bard’s weaker comedies. 4/10