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| Celebrating First Folio |
Commenting about The Book of Will, Theatrical Outfit’s Artistic Director Tom Key asks “where would we possibility be without Shakespeare’s words, his characters, his stories that we watch again and again, these bridges across incomprehension and chaos?”
Who would we be without them?
The catastrophic possibility that Shakespeare’s plays would have not made their way from 1600s London hovers over Lauren Gunderson’s masterful play, chosen to launch Theatrical Outfit’s 2018-2019 Season of Beauty
A few year’s after the Bard’s death, his friends embark on a mission to publish his plays after reconstructing the original scripts which are lost, scattered and even distorted in pirated versions. The Herculean task is the mission of John Heminges, Henry Condell and actor Richard Burbage, determined to produce a collection for posterity known as First Folio.
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| A Spectacular Cast |
Decatur, Georgia native Gunderson, an Emory University alum, creates words that live in actors and audiences. As the most produced living playwright in America, she works magic with those words for two hours. Her terrific comedy about the effort to preserve Shakespeare’s works unfolds as one of the seminal events in preserving the cultural heritage of Western civilization. You can only wonder how barren our language and empty our hearts would be had First Folio not been published.
Will has some hilarious moments and with the appearance of curmudgeon Ben Johnson, played brilliantly by William S. Murphey, the audience is reminded that Shakespeare created memorable characters that often resembled his colleagues be they a besotted windbag or lovable romantic.
Much of the play revisits those days in London and Stratford-upon-Avon when a group of high-minded actors and friends of Shakespeare recognized the existential horror of losing the enormous body of his works. Eliana Marianes as Alice Heminges delivers an important message: Shakespeare understood women, perhaps better than any playwright then or now.
Will chronicles the saving and preservation of Shakespeare’s plays. It also uses the stage to communicate a universal message. Words matter. Today, they may mean more than ever. Civilization is rightly measured by how well it honors cultural treasures.
Imagine a world without these words from Shakespeare: “It’s not enough to speak, but to speak true.” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream); “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” (All’s Well that Ends Well); “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” (Twelfth Night); “To be or not to be, that is the question.” (Hamlet)
Ms. Gunderson’s play is entertaining and convincing. There was a moment in time when Shakespeare’s words could have disappeared. That they are with now with us affirms the hope that they will survive, continuing to provide that bridge of understanding what is good and what makes us stronger.
The Book of Will is a wonderful vehicle to introduce younger generations to Shakespeare. Two hours of endearing laughter and suspense powerfully delivered by a stellar cast surrounded by an amazing set is something to behold, an effort that a movie would be hard pressed to equal.
Directed by David Crowe. Through Sept. 9, 2018. Images: Casey Gardner
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