Theater & Dance Perspective

Dumbing down Shakespeare:

Are Americans too
intellectually lazy to
appreciate his genius?
By Peter Marks Theater critic April 27

Chancesare,unlessyoureanEnglishgradstudentorengagedinalifelongswoonoverShakespeare,youhaventreadorseen
TimonofAthens.Orevenheardofit.Heck,myjobiscoveringShakespeareandIveneverseenit.SotheFolgerTheatres
missionatthemomentstagingamoderndressversionofthisobscurework,oftenconsignedtothefilingcabinetofclassical
dramalabeleddeeplyflawedbeginsasstrikinglyesoteric.

Butitalsostrikesmeasmarvelouslyvital.Becauseinourage,thecanonofclassicalworkstowhichaudiencesareexposed
shrinksbytheyear.Oh,theoldfavoritesarentgoinganywhere.RomeosandHamletswillcontinuetowaxpoeticbeforeour
eyesalthough,methinks,insmallerandsmallervenuesandcostumeshopswillbebackedupintothefuturewithorders
forMacbethstunicsandDesdemonasnightgowns.

Yetthefactthatmanytheatercompaniesseemtobelievetheycanfulfilltheirclassicalmandateswithonlythemostwidely
knownplays,orworse,sacrificemorechallengingplaystothepopularentertainmentdemandsoftheboxoffice,makesme
wonderwhetherthesearesignsofadeeperproblem.Thatistoask,areAmericanstoointellectuallylazytofullyappreciate
Shakespeareanymore?

Vacuum cleaners in Verona

TheAmericantheatersmostprominentplatform,Broadway,seemstohavethrownupitshandsinsurrender:Aplayby
Shakespearehasntopenedtheresincethefallof2013.Anarticleoffaithamongtheatersandtheaterwriters(forpublic
consumption,anyway)istheaudienceisneverwrong.Butwhatifsomethingwrongishappeningtotheaudience?Whatifitis
losinginterest,orpatience,inencounteringShakespeareonhisownterms?
AfundamentalshiftincontroloverShakespeareswordshasbeenevidentformuchofthelast50yearsintheEnglishspeaking
theater,asdirectorshavewithmoreandmorechutzpahtakenholdofthetextanduseditasmeremodelingclay.Itsworth
mentioningthatthispracticeiswidelyappliedtomodernaswellasclassicplaysthroughouttherestofEuropeandelsewhere.

Thishasledtosomebreathtakingflightsoftheimagination,startingwithPeterBrooksparadigmalteringAMidsummer
NightsDreamin1970,anilluminatingproductionperformedonswingsinanallwhitebox.Intheyearssince,ithasalso
resultedinatrendborderingonmindlessness,ofimposingeveryvarietyofanachronismonShakespeare,intheserviceof
makinghisplaysmoretopicalforanaudiencethatseemstoneedsomethingclosetoaliteralreflectionofitselfonthestage.
Rockbottom,forme,wasaproductioninWashingtonlastyearofRomeoandJulietduringwhichthememorableTwo
households,bothalikeindignityspeechwasgiventoamemberoftheensemblepushingavacuumcleaner.

CONTENT FROM SUB-ZERO

A third of the planets food is wasted

Thats 1.3 billion tons a year. Heres how we can address the
problem.

Iwonder,though,ifthishabithashastenedthepredicamentwerenowin:thatitsnexttoimpossibletoattractasustainable
audiencetoanythingbutthemostaccessibletitles,becausehavingtodealwithunfamiliarShakespeareisugh,somuchwork.
Onehasonlytolookovertheofferingsofthemosthighlyregardedclassicalcompaniesforevidence.Inthenext12months,for
instance,WashingtonsShakespeareTheatreCompany,winnerofthe2012TonyAwardforoutstandingregionaltheater,has
threeplaysbytheBardontheschedule:aMacbeththatopensofficiallyonMondayaTwelfthNightandaHamlet.

DidlowhangingfruithavethesameconnotationintheElizabethanAge?

AlsoonShakespeareTheatrescalendarnextseasonisarevivalofthatfavoriteoftheJacobeans,LernerandLoewes
Camelot.AndthiscompanyisnottheonlyonewithShakespeareinitsnamethatiscountingonmusicalstofillitscoffers.
Oklahoma!isamongthefutureeventsattheOregonShakespeareFestival,andanewmusicalstageversionoftheanimated
childrensmovieMadagascarissetforthissummerattheChicagoShakespeareTheater.MaryPoppinsisforthcomingat
theAlabamaShakespeareFestival,andtheUtahShakespeareFestivalwillsoonbedoingGuysandDolls.

Now,thesecompaniesallcarryontheirtraditionsofproducingShakespeareandmaybe,fromtimetotime,oneoranother
playwrightfromantiquity.Onecantblamethemforwantingtosurvive.Butsurviveaswhat?Whatdoesitsaywhenthese
organizations,whoseidentityrevolvesaround38(orthereabouts)playswritten400yearsago,havetorelyonAmerican
musicaltheatertosurvive?AndifthesecompaniesfallbackendlesslyontitlessuchasAsYouLikeItandAMidsummer
NightsDream,willtheultimateconsequencebeafurtherdiminishmentofShakespeare,awearingdownbyChronic
WarhorseFatigueSyndrome?

ThatsomeShakespeareworksaremorepopularthanothersiscertainlynothingnew.SuchexpertsasColumbiaUniversity
professorJamesShapiro,authorofTheYearofLear:Shakespearein1606andseveralotherwellreceivedbooksonthe
Bard,notethatgoingbackasfarasthe19thcentury,theplaysinthecanonthatcouldbecountedonaslikelyboxoffice
successesalwaysnumberedonlyaboutadozen.

Peoplegrowupbeingsteeredtotheseplayseitherinthetheaterortheclassroom,andtheyaretheplaystheyliketoreturn
to,hesaid.TheotherexplanationisthattherearesomeamazinglygoodrolesinShakespeare,andactorsliketoplaythose
roles.YoucangetKevinSpaceytoplayRichardIII,Shapiroobserved(whichSpaceydid).Butitsalotharder,headded,to
persuadehimtocommittoPosthumusinCymbeline.

Wrestling with his language

WhatdoesfeelasifitsgainingmomentumisthesensethatpresentingShakespeareaswrittenissomehowadisserviceto
audiences.IspokewithShapirosomemonthsago,aftertheOregonShakespeareFestivalunveiledanambitiousplanthatdrew
someraisedeyebrowsalongwithsomeplaudits:Playon!,aninitiativethathascommissioned36dramatiststo,inthe
companyswords,translatetheentireShakespearecanonintocontemporarymodernEnglishbyDec.31,2018.Whileithas
somecommendablegoalsdrawingmanywritersofnote,includingmanyplaywrightsofcolor,intoapotentiallyprofound
communicationwithShakespearesworkthenotionthatShakespeareneededtobetranslatedbotheredme.Itseemed
anotherindicationofanerosioninourabilitytoappreciatethepoetryofthemostingeniousdramatistoftheEnglishspeaking
world.Forplots,Shakespearehimselfinveteratelycoopted.Whatishe,then,ifnothislanguage?

ThisdisconcertedShapiro,too.ShakespearesrhymesandrhythmsareShakespeare,hesaid.Youhavetounderstandthat
eveninShakespearesownday,noteverybodygoteveryword,heexplained.Everyplayhasitsownscore,itsownmusic,and
itsgroundedinthatiambicpentameter,andsomehow,Shakespearemanagestocreateajazzmusical,adifferentfeel,a
differentmelodytoeachwork.

Thebottomlineformeisthis,anditssomethingthatpeopleintheatercompaniesdontwanttohear,headded.When
actorsandthedirectorknowwhattheyresaying,audiencesdo,too.

BarryEdelstein,artisticdirectorofSanDiegosOldGlobeTheatre,whohasadegreefromOxfordinShakespeare,hadamore
upbeatassessmentwhenIspoketohim,too,abouttheramificationsofPlayon!Bettertoviewthewrestlingwith
Shakespeareslanguage,hesaid,ashavingapayoffforwritersandaudiencesdowntheroad.EverytimeIworkona
Shakespeareplay,myworkonanonShakespeareanplaygetsbetter,heexplained,myunderstandingoflanguage,of
metaphor,ofsyntax.Itmakesmeabetterdirector,andIthinkthisexerciseisgoingtomakethesepeoplebetterplaywrights.

Inotherorganizations,suchastheAmericanShakespeareCenterinStaunton,Va.,atroupeincorporatingoriginalElizabethan
practicesintoitsproductions,projectsareunderwaytobuildacontemporaryliteraryinfrastructurearoundtheentirecanon.
Lastweek,thecenterannouncedaninternationalplaywritingcontest,inwhich$25,000prizesaretobeawardedannuallyfor
contemporarypartnerplaysforeachof38Shakespeareanworks.Theideaistoruneachofthenewplaysideallywithparts
foradozenorsoactorsinrepertorywiththeplaythatinspiresit.Thenotionisapromisingone,inthatitbolstersthe
rationaleforASCstraditionofinvestingdeeplyintheentiretyoftheShakespeareanroster.
WhichbringsusbacktotheboldnessofFolgersinvestigationofTimonofAthens,aplaythatchroniclesthedeclineofarich
citizen(playedherebyIanMerrillPeakes)who,afternaivelygivingawayhisfortune,lapsesintoterminaldespair.Theworkis
likeTheMerchantofVenice,thematicallybuiltaroundmoney,butunlikeMerchant,isrifewithwhatsregardedasinferior
verseandisthoughttobeunfinished.

Theactorandthedirector,RobertRichmond,saidtheywerestruckbythecontemporaryconnectionsthatmightbemadein
portrayingamanscomplexrelationshipwithwealth.OrasFolgersartisticdirector,JanetGriffin,saidtomeonetime,in
referencetoanotherofShakespearesobscurerdramas,Pericles:Wearelookingforwhattheplayissayingtoustoday.

ForPeakes,whoattheFolgerhasplayedsomeofthemostnotoriouscharactersinthecanonIagoandMacbeth,tonametwo
Timonispossiblyevenmoreofatestofthemettleofaclassicalcompany.

Thereispartlythisresponsibilityasaninstitutiontoperformtheseworks,hesaid,duringarehearsalbreakrecently.The
goalisforpeopletosayWhyarentwedoingtheseplaysmore?Whyindeed.

TimonofAthens,byWilliamShakespeare.DirectedbyRobertRichmond.$35$75.May9toJune11attheFolger
Theatre,201EastCapitolSt.SE.Visitfolger.edu/folgertheatreorcall2025447077.

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Quiz:TestyourShakespeareIQ

Peter Marks joined the Washington Post as its chief theater critic in 2002. Prior to that he worked for nine years
at the New York Times, on the culture, metropolitan and national desks, and spent about four years as its o-
Broadway drama critic. Follow @petermarksdrama