‘By My Will’ spins intriguing theory, leaves unanswered questions

The play opens on Anne Hathaway, irate at having read her husband’s will and learning that she has only been bequeathed his “second best bed.” The scene is admittedly a tad rote, half filled with recitations from Shakespeare’s will that are spoken too quickly to be understood. After that, the play takes a fantastical turn as Shakespeare lies down to sleep and wakes to a greeting from the now-deceased Christopher Marlowe (Kevin Roost). As he tries to process what is happening, they are joined by fellow Elizabethan playwrights John Lyly (Kenneth Wigley) and Thomas Kyd (O’Neil Delpenha), both of whom are also dead.

The setting is never specified, though the poets speculate that they are in Hell. Post doesn’t waste much time on that particular question as he has the four of them devolve into catty bickering over whose plays were superior. The play gets an extra injection of elegance as they are joined by none other than Queen Elizabeth I (Kathleen McManus, in an utterly irresistible performance). They are then tasked with performing Act 2, Scene II of “Hamlet” to pass the time.

Everything is going as smoothly as can be expected — that is to say, turbulent, hysterical and full of fun quips about the idiosyncrasies of Shakespeare’s work — until the play-within-a-play is disrupted by the sudden arrival of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, who claims to be the true author of Shakespeare’s works. Of course, the Shakespeareans in the audience know where things are headed as soon as the Earl announces his name, as Edward de Vere has been one of the most popular candidates for anti-Stratfordians since the early 20th century.

Director Jeff Watkins has a lot of fun with the play-within-the-play, though the way that the characters dip in and out of the “Hamlet” dialogue does make the flow of the scene difficult to follow. He also makes excellent use of McManus, drawing some nice, comedic moments out of her natural queenly presence. While there are moments of historical info dumping that feel forced, Watkins does his best to keep the energy of the play moving forward.

The performances are excellent all around. Andrew Houchins is not the most charismatic Bard, but his Shakespeare brings a certain intensity. When he delivers an impassioned speech in defense of his own authorship, several audience members were moved to applause. Vinnie Mascola matches this intensity as de Vere, mixing in an air of pompousness and over-the-top comedy.

Kathleen McManus gives perhaps the most standout performance as Elizabeth; she also plays Anne Hathaway in the opening scene. She is imperious, charming, stately, sarcastic, witty and altogether delightful to watch. Kevin Roost, O’Neil Delepenha and Kenneth Wigley also give hilarious performances as Marlowe, Kyd and Lyly, respectively.

Amee Vyas rounds out the cast as Aemilia Bassano Lanier, Elizabeth’s companion and a poet herself, who observes the proceedings with a reserved curiosity before claiming that she was, in fact, the author of Shakespeare’s work.

The central mystery is certainly intriguing, though it suffers from a rather glaring plot hole. I am not going to argue the merits (or lack thereof) of the Oxfordian theory, but if de Vere is so cross with Shakespeare for publicly taking credit for his plays, why would he continue to send them?

While it’s unclear exactly when in Shakespeare’s timeline “By My Will” takes place, it is clear that Shakespeare has already created a major name for himself, and premiered most of his best-known works (”Hamlet,” at the very least). Presumably, he has taken credit for all of them. Would de Vere not have simply cut him off after the first couple of plays? Perhaps he sent Shakespeare all of the plays at once and instructed him to spread them out over time, but why, then, are Shakespeare’s early plays so much less refined than his later ones?

It is clearly not Post’s intention to create a perfectly articulated argument in favor of de Vere’s authorship, and I understand that the impetus of the play relies on de Vere being dissatisfied with Shakespeare’s fame. Dramatically, however, this gap is hard to reconcile, especially when the play’s main goal is to probe the possibilities and implications of de Vere’s (or Aemilia’s) authorship.

If there is anything interesting to take away from “By My Will,” it’s the idea that whoever wrote these plays (Shakespeare did!) had such a multidimensional understanding of humanity, three people of distinctly different temperaments and walks of life can each claim to have written them. The true author can never be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, as history is always reconstructed in the present. While the script of “By My Will” may be a bit messy, the question at its center remains an interesting one.

THEATER REVIEW

“By My Will”

Through April 30. $15-$44. Atlanta Shakespeare Company, 499 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. shakespearetavern.com.

::

Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

MEET OUR PARTNER

ArtsATL (www.artsatl.org), is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. Founded in 2009, ArtsATL’s goal is to help build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.

If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.