You're gonna be bothered by how cool I am.

I have seen more versions of this play than probably any other Shakespeare play except Hamlet. I am very familiar with the story and the dialogue (I usually reread a Shakespeare play before I see it, but I didn't feel the need to with this one). I love the pure confection and Italian countryside porn of the 90s Branagh version. I loved the lo-fi homemade version of Whedon's take (and the especially remarkable performance of Amy Acker). I enjoyed the SITP production a few years ago with Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater (the one where I sat in front of Alan Rickman). I loved the Utah Shakespeare Festival production (of *several* years ago now), though I was "meh" on their Beatrice. I love this play, despite all the issues a modern lens brings to it (ugh, Claudio amirite?).

All that to say that last night I saw my absolute favorite production of this play. Period. The Public Theater made history this year by having its first ever all-black cast at the Delacorte Theater. I didn't know most of the actors beforehand, but I knew Danielle Brooks played someone called "Taystee" in Orange Is the New Black (which I've never seen). She apparently turned down other projects to do this because, as a black actress of a particular size, she never gets to do roles like this.

I'm going to spoil the heck of this because this production only runs for a couple more weeks and I suspect none of you will get a chance to see this. I'll obviously be spoiling the play, and if you have somehow missed the bajillion productions of this text, then that's on you.

( Read more... )