The sole source of William Shakespeare's As You Like It is
the First Folio of 1623; before this time there are no records of it
being printed or performed. This may come as a surprise to modern
audiences because As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's
most popular plays in the modern era. In fact, it was Charles
Johnson's 1723 adaptation of As You Like It, called Love in
a Forest, that kicked off the Shakespeare craze in modern Western
theatre.
Containing more songs than any of Shakespeare's other plays,
featuring Shakespeare's pluckiest heroine, and lacking lengthy
discussions of English history, As You Like It's modern
popularity should come as no surprise. Especially in America, so
rich in the forests that were largely depleted in England by the
time Shakespeare wrote this sylvan romance, and where hunting and
hiking remain integral parts of our cultural identity, there is
much for us to identify with. It should come as a small wonder
that, in a nation founded by travelers who sought to build paradise
in the wilderness, we still feel the romantic draw of escaping to
the forest.
We hope you'll feel that draw as you join us for this musical tale
of love in a forest.
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