Shakespeare has become almost an entrance exam for the American theater community, but it nearly wasn’t this way.
In Shakespeare’s time, publishing scripts simply wasn’t the normal practice. How we came to have the scripts that we do is the subject of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Mary Ann Rodgers directs the Ross Valley Players production running now through June 8 at the Barn Theatre in the Marin Art and Garden Center.
Shakespeare’s been dead for three years when Richard Burbage (Marty Pistone), the last custodian of some of the most famous monologues, dies. This leads the remaining King’s Men, Henry Condell (Fred Pitts) and John Heminges (Malcolm Rodgers), to gather all the scripts into a single folio. Helped by John’s daughter Alice (Jannely Calmell) and printer Isaac Jaggard (Sean Mireles Boulton), they endure comedy and tragedy on their quest to publish the plays.
There are some solidly compelling moments in this production. Most notable, and worth the price of admission, is Pitts and Rodgers sitting on an empty stage, attempting to explain why it is such a haven for us who live our lives in the theater. The scene’s simple, grounded, quietness is beautifully directed and sublimely played.
Also of note is Michael-Paul Thomsett’s Ben Jonson. His performance of the over-the-top Poet Laureate is consistently hilarious and utterly truthful.
In spite of some really funny moments, a lack of specificity and cohesion mars the storytelling—everything from Alice holding a “lit” spill upside down to over-the-top hard-to-understand dialects, pacing issues, and a scene that starts with Pitts and Rodgers all the way upstage facing the wall delivering lines unheard by the audience.
The biggest issue is that the script has two casts: one of real people dealing with real problems in the foreground and one of farcical stereotypes skittering around in the background. Yes, Shakespeare himself often used this device, but it’s still hard to direct a cohesive show with an unbalanced script. Rodgers almost pulls it off.
The minimalist set by Ron Krempetz is a smart design for this script, allowing for versatility through simplicity while still telling a story, and the costumes by Valera Coble are beautiful and period-appropriate.
Overall, this is an amusing—if long—way to learn a little about how a Stratford poet became a cultural touchstone.
‘The Book of Will’ runs through June 8 at the Barn Theatre in the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Thu-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $22–$38. 415.456.9555. rossvalleyplayers.com
