As You Like It, Folger Theatre

 As You Like It is a play that lives and dies by the charms and strength of its ensemble. In some productions, dozens of actors work so hard to frolic and fall in love that the strain shows; in others, actors falter under the weight of jokes that don't land and love that never excites the imagination of the audience as much as the actors keep urgently promising it should. At the Folger Theatre, in a new production envisioned by Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels and directed by Timothy Douglas, Washington DC serves as the inspiration for a truly lively and endlessly entertaining As You Like It that's a welcome relief from the times and from other productions that layer on bells and whistles that can obscure the charms of the text and the ensemble.

The cast of Folger Theatre's production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, envisioned by Karen Ann Daniels and directed by Timothy Douglas. Onstage at the Folger Shakespeare Library March 10, 2026-April 12, 2026. Photography by Brittany Diliberto.

Despite the looming backdrop of the Capitol that scenic designer Gisela Estrada features in the early court scenes, the production as a whole doesn't demand a too-literal translation into modern times, demanding audiences keep up with specific parallels to different neighborhoods or DC politicians that strain the simplicity of the text (previous productions at the Folger have fallen prey to this common tendency). Instead, the world of the play relaxes some of the court vs. countryside binary of the text into the warmth of a modern urban landscape that feels familiar and well-loved to the audience's eyes.  It's not a lack of specificity so much as an invitation to relax, see your community onstage, and enjoy a few hours' break from what's happening outside in the real world version of DC.

More than anything, it's the ensemble that sells this atmosphere of joyful abandon. Tsilala Brock is a wonderful Rosalind, warm and vivacious, brave and empathetic throughout. Manu Kumasi rises to meet her as Orlando, suffused with righteousness and utterly bewitched by her charms. Ahmad Kamal thoroughly delights as Touchstone, whose dialogue is the most altered (common with modern productions for the clowns) and who thoroughly commanded the audience all evening. As You Like It is frequently performed, but rarely so cohesively and well, and is well worth idling an evening in Arden with these talented artists.