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As You Like It
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DC/Folger Theatre/As You Like It

As You Like It

Folger Theatre · Capitol Hill

RunningMar 10 – Apr 12
Art Formtheater
Who It's Good For

Perfect for Shakespeare enthusiasts who appreciate linguistic playfulness over heavy drama, and for anyone curious about gender and performance in early modern comedy. If you're drawn to romantic entanglement but tired of heavy-handed emotion, this is your play—the humor is sharper than the heartache.

Shakespeare's most playful comedy arrives at the Folger Theatre with all its linguistic wit and romantic scheming intact. As You Like It traces Rosalind and Celia's escape from court tyranny into the Forest of Arden, where disguises multiply, love strikes at awkward angles, and the boundary between performance and authenticity dissolves entirely. This is Shakespeare at his most meta—a play about theater itself, where a young woman pretending to be a young man teaches her would-be lover how to love. The Folger's intimate Capitol Hill space is ideal for the comedy's conspiracy-style asides and the particular electricity of Rosalind's famous monologues, which feel almost like she's taking the audience into her confidence. Director's choices will determine whether this lands as sparkling farce or something more contemplative about identity and belonging.

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Folger Theatre is in Capitol Hill. The nearest Metro station is Union Station (Red Line), located about a 10-minute walk away. The Blue and Silver Lines also serve Union Station, making it accessible from multiple directions across the city.
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Last updated April 5, 2026 · Summaries written by Theaterloop editors with AI assistance

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