King John at Folger Theatre

He may be king, but unlike his older brother Richard the Lionheart, John has no stirring nickname, and everyone from the Pope to his own court seems to think his crown is up for grabs. Taking his audience back to the time of the Magna Carta, Shakespeare slyly commented on the politics of his own day. Now, director Aaron Posner treats you to a toxic brew of ambition and indecision in this rarely staged but timely history. The medieval court is transported to the D.C. stage as King John unfolds at Folger Theatre.