Washington Post - Not Recommended
"...Only the wily stage veteran Paxton Whitehead, as a feisty old French lord, finds ways to convey a sophisticated relationship with Shakespeare's elan and language. One wishes Whitehead's buoyant effect would have gone viral in the Lansburgh. As it is, everything around him just seems unwell."
Examiner - Somewhat Recommended
"...The Shakespeare Theatre’s season-opening play, All’s Well that Ends Well, is, save for a few performances, an evening (or afternoon) of mediocrity. Directed by Michael Kahn, William Shakespeare’s play is beautiful to watch (Court Watson, scenic designer, and Robert Perdziola, costume designer) but ultimately not very entertaining or engrossing."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...Yet the real potency here, and truly the reason to see the show, are Ted van Griethuysen's King and Paxton Whitehead's Lafew, a Lord at Court. Though Shakespeare eventually devolves his King into the ceremonial, the early scenes in which he battles his illness offer the play's finest contemplative moments and poignancy. And there is no one better than Van Griethuysen to give us this despairing, aging monarch. With extraordinary subtlety and insight he evokes the man as he was in his prime – still there amidst the age and illness - reconciling, mourning, staring full-face into the abyss. These are the moments that linger long after the plot has been tied up in its odd little bow."
WeLoveDC - Somewhat Recommended
"...If you’re up for some old-school work and prepared to put on your classics hat and view it through the lens of its age you’ll find All’s Well That Ends Well worth your time. If you’re going to have an issue with character motivations that seem foreign in 2010 it may not be the play for you."
Talkin Broadway - Somewhat Recommended
"...All's Well That Ends Well has always been considered problematic among the plays of William Shakespeare. While Michael Kahn's current production of the play at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington is well appointed enough, its best moments come from two old pros and one youthful scene-stealer rather than the difficult leading couple."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"...But it’s the gravity of those opening scenes—the manifest mortality that underlies them, the wisdom and charity in the characters Mason and especially van Griethuysen have created—that grounds what comes after. It sets stakes, offers ballast; you can see Mason’s big-hearted dowager countess in Helena’s future, and if things go right Bertram will survive his follies and his wars to become the keen, righteous man his king is. It’s not flashy, this reading, and not revolutionary. But it’s quietly revelatory, and as it finds the humanity at the heart of a play that often doesn’t work, it can be moving indeed."
Washington Life - Recommended
"...There were moments when the production felt a little dry, with less than inspired staging and many of the lines delivered as oration not conversation. However, the times when the characters were able to leap into the third dimension were well worth the wait. For example: Paxton Whitehead as Lafew, a lord and neighbor of the Countess with clever one-liners and witty repartee; Adam Green as Lavatch, a servant with an inflated sense of self and sauciness; Michael Bakkensen as Parolles, an absolute knave who both charms and infuriates; and Natalie Mitchell as Diana, a small town beauty who has won the heart of Bertram. These characters brought the scenes to life, providing energy and chemistry and humor."
Fairfax Times - Recommended
"...In fact, at the skilled directorial hands of the company's artistic director, Michael Kahn, the play leaps into vibrant life with an ensemble performance of great talent, headlined by Oscar nominee Marsha Mason as Helena's guardian, the Countess of Rossillion."
Washington Diplomat - Somewhat Recommended
"...In the end, it takes more than one mishap to turn audiences away from the Shakespeare Theatre. After all, even Shakespeare is entitled to (and as witnessed here, experienced) writer’s block. But if and when this happens, perchance it is best to quietly wait for inspiration. Decline the lesser works and set more realistic sites on the gems, or at least be prepared to polish the diamond-in-the-roughs a bit more thoroughly."
Washington Blade - Recommended
"...All’s Well That Ends Well – that quasi-comedy about unrequited love – isn’t the best-loved work in Shakespeare’s canon, but of course merits retelling nonetheless. Currently serving as the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s season opener, the improbable tale – as staged by gay director Michael Kahn — shines with moments of humor and relevancy."
DCTheatreScene - Not Recommended
"...It’s awfully nice of Shakespeare to let us know how the play ends before we go into the theatre. Still, I might have traded it back for a chance to feel some sense of surprise. When plays have titles that are this ripe with prognosis, it’s awfully tempting to re-title them, so Michael Kahn’s season-opener certainly earns a nickname. It might more accurately be called All’s Okay That Ends Fine, I Guess."