Washington always offers a variety of Shakespearean productions, but the 2009-10 season seems particularly rich, full of imaginative, unconventional approaches to some of Shakespeare’s best known plays.
There’s still time to see the Folger Shakespeare Theatre’s lively “Much Ado About Nothing,” which has a Caribbean flavor and a colorful set inspired by a D.C. neighborhood. Directed by Timothy Douglas and starring Rachel Leslie and Howard Overshown as Beatrice and Benedick, this engaging urban “Much Ado” lights up Shakespeare’s ode to love with a disc jockey, contemporary music, snappy dance numbers and a carnival atmosphere through Nov. 29.
Another great comedy, the Shakespeare Theatre’s “As You Like It,” opens Nov. 17. Director Maria Aitken’s fresh take on the play envisions a symbolic connection between America and Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden, where exiles from a tyrannical kingdom search for freedom just as generations of immigrants have sought refuge and promise in America.
Aitken’s production, seen through the lens of American cinema, allows Hollywood to inform the history of America itself, using silent films and Westerns and musical spectaculars to chronicle the way America has mythologized its past through movies. The leading American composer, lyricist and librettist, Michael John LaChiusa, has written the score for this production, which runs through Dec. 20.
Synetic Theatre will open “Antony and Cleopatra,” another of its silent Shakespeare productions, which rely on dance, action and music rather than words Jan. 28.
“When we do our adaptations, we spend a lot of time working with structure, creating the thematic breakdown of what happens in the play,” Ben Cunis, who plays Antony, said in a recent interview. “In ‘Antony and Cleopatra,’ for instance, a lot of the things that happen in our production are things that happen offstage in the original text.
“Because of the nature of our shows, the majority of our work is done in long rehearsal periods, where the action is choreographed and created out of improvisation. We start with the basic breakdown of the script and then improvise moods or concepts around it,” he said.
“Antony and Cleopatra,” directed by Paata Tsikurishvili, will be performed at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Lansbugh Theatre through Feb. 28.
In February, the Shakespeare Theatre will offer two of Shakespeare’s history plays in repertory at the Sidney Harman Hall. “Richard II,” directed by Michael Kahn, will play from Feb. 2 to April 11. Director David Muse’s production of “Henry V” will run from Feb. 4 to April 10.
From April 21 to June 6, Joseph Haj, producing artistic director of PlayMakers Rep at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will direct “Hamlet” at the Folger Theatre. Finally, Synetic Theatre opens its “Othello” (with Paata Tsikurishvili directing) at the Kennedy Center’s Family Theatre from June 4 to June 21.
