Abstract
Shakespeare Theatre productions that are successful, such as Much Ado and As You Like It, are striking in that they regularly provoke new insights into familiar characters (as with Kelly McGillis's Beatrice) or expand the overall suggestiveness and scope of the play itself (as with the bittersweet atmosphere in Arden). And the triumphs, such as Measure for Measure, last season's King Lear, or the 1989-90 season's Twelfth Night, often strike a viewer as the definitive production of a play, the one that you will find yourself holding up as the standard for all subsequent productions you may see. This season was a real gift to the Washington community, and with the move to the new Lansburgh building, Michael Kahn and The Shakespeare Theatre have truly come into their own. In addition to providing high-quality theatrical productions, The Shakespeare Theatre has been exemplary in its commitment to public service, and, through its many outreach and special education programs, it continues to expand and diversify the classical theater audience in Washington. The Shakespeare Theatre's productions during the last two years have rivalled and in some cases surpassed anything that I have seen in New York or Stratford, Ontario. And although I can't help but miss those wooden galleries at the old Folger theater, or the unicorn that bears a scroll reading All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players painted on the ceiling, it is thrilling to see The Shakespeare Theatre at long last established in a facility that adequately reflects its stature as one of the principal Shakespeare companies in the country.
Published Version
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