Macbeth Folger Theatre Through July 1, 2020 Click for details I lapped this one up like cream – Folger Theatre’s rebroadcast of Macbeth as reimagined by the gifted magician Teller and Aaron Posner reminded me of how mystical and good-scary this play could be and the performances were so vivid it felt like 3-D. – Jayne […]
A look inside the adventurous Fiasco Theater, now at Folger until June 1
“Legend has it the word ‘fiasco’ was first used to describe commedia dell’arte performances that went horribly (and hilariously) wrong.” So says the website for Fiasco Theater as it explains the genesis of the company’s name. It’s interesting, though, not only to learn of the term’s history, but also to consider the irony of its […]
Fiasco Theater’s fanciful Two Gentlemen of Verona
The central dilemma of this play is that one of the Gentlemen of Verona, Proteus (Noah Brody) is no gentleman. Instead, he is a cad who seduces and abandons Julia (Jessie Austrian), betrays his friendship to Valentine (Zachary Fine) and pursues Sylvia (Emily Young) much against her will, coming within moments of raping her. He […]
DC voters give Shakespeare’s scathing comedy the win in Folger’s March Madness
Much Ado About Nothing, a riotous play which features the scathing wordplay of the world’s most famous love-hate relationship, Beatrice and Benedick, scored an upset victory over the legendary King Lear in the final round of Folger Theatre’s March Madness tournament, which, like the basketball tournament, ended in April. The margin was 53-47%.
Comedy? Tragedy? Folger voting could go either way.
Folger Theatre’s entry into March Madness titled Bracket of the Bard has come down to the final two. Voting today has been so close, it’s impossible to predict whether Much Ado About Nothing or King Lear will emerge as the audience’s favorite Shakespeare play. Bracket of the Bard ends Friday, April 11 at 5pm. Enter […]
Join Folger audiences in playing (Ides of) March Madness. The game is on!
Folger Theatre is giving Shakespeare fans around the world a chance to join in on the March brackets fun with Bracket of the Bard to choose the favorite Shakespeare play. As one player put it “at least I know these teams.” Today is day 2, so over 4,000 fans of the Bard have done the […]
Richard III at Folger
Richard III shouldn’t work very well. It looks like a quest narrative, but nothing of substance stands between the anti-hero and his goal, so it’s more like a project narrative. Not much dramatic tension there. It’s true that several people must be stabbed, or smothered, or beheaded, before Richard gets to sit on England’s throne, […]
At Folger, a new way of seeing Richard III. We talk with director Robert Richmond
Folger Theatre is extremely excited about its upcoming production of Richard III. And the play’s director, Robert Richmond, seems to be the most excited of all. “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve ever staged,” he told me. “It will be one of the most exciting experiences in DC this year.”
See RSC perform Richard II at Folger, Monday, Dec 2
For the first time in its history, the Royal Shakespeare Company has recorded a production from its famed Stratford-Upon-Avon theatre for live broadcast. The production is Shakespeare’s Richard II with David Tennant (of BBC’s “Dr Who” fame) in the starring role. First live streamed to the UK on November 13, the broadcast has now been […]
Eric Hissom, back at Folger for Romeo and Juliet
Rebooting a five hundred year old play for a modern audience is hard. Keeping a play fresh when it’s as well-known as Romeo and Juliet might be even harder. And let’s be honest: we’ve probably all seen some bad Romeo and Juliet interpretations. Maybe you saw a version set in samurai-era Japan that turned into […]
Aaron Posner’s Romeo and Juliet
Somehow I missed the beginning of Aaron Posner’s Romeo and Juliet. Not the famous beginning — “Two households, both alike in dignity,” — but the real one, which must have happened while I was reading the playbill or writing notes about the set (“Black poles in blue light. Skeleton of a building with an elevator […]
We talk with Rachel Pickup and Richard Sheridan Willis from Twelfth Night at Folger Theatre
Standing in a Capitol Hill bakery, they could have been a pair of European travelers, not quite blending in with the hustling Washington crowd getting scones and lattes in the afternoon rush. But the willowy blonde with striking features and the gentleman with tousled salt and pepper hair were islands of calm in the busy […]
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