Tonight I again took advantage of the rich Shakespeare offerings in DC and saw the rarely performed The Life of King Henry VIII at the Folger Theatre, one of my favorite venues. Hard to believe this was my 10th Shakespeare play in DC since coming to town (not counting the two I’ve seen in CA). With the threat of rain, I walked from work down to capitol hill and had yet another mediocre Chinese meal in DC, after which I walked over to the Folger Theatre. The play was wonderfully acted. One actor in particular, Louis Butelli, who constantly morphed between many roles was awesome. The staging, while sparse, gave a true feel of that historical era. The lighting, with a perpetual light fog, added to the atmospherics, and the costumes were great. Despite all that, the play didn’t blow me away. That is more due to the play itself than this production. The play seemed to have no single drama, and rather painted a broad brush over several of the dramatic events in Henry’s career. I’m glad I saw it, but I have no desire to immediately run back and see it again.
The evening at the Folger ended with the amazing walk back home that took me right past the Supreme Court building, and around the capitol itself, which presents a dramatic view at night in the drizzle, back down Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues. It’s a stroll that always puts my in awe of being in DC.