The Many Pens of William Shakespeare


Reviewed 8/19/05

Was Shakespeare Bacon? No, not a pork product, but the speculation among Shakespeare scholars has long been that the midrange actor of Avon, William Shake-speare, a pretty obvious pseudonym, was nothing more than a barely literate member of the troupe who leant his nom de plume to either one or a cadre of writers. There are those who lean toward Edward De Vere, the Earl of Oxford, as the real author; some suggest Christopher Marlowe; others lean towards Sir Walter Raleigh; a group pushes Sir Francis Bacon; and there are even those who support The Virgin Queen as his real benefactor. Playwright Amy Freed feels as I do, that there’s plenty of room in the canon for everyone. It is this theory that is the basis of her play The Beard of Avon, a delightful romp beautifully written and infused with a plethora of tips of the hat not only to Shakespeare’s works, but Marlowe’s, Kyd’s, even Rogers and Hammerstein. Actors Renaissance Theatre, a company that fluctuates in quality of presentation, offers a heartfelt and earnest production of the work that starts off hesitantly but quickly rises to become a funny and enjoyable evening of theater.

James K. Barnard has drawn upon his vast intellectual resources about Elizabethan theatre to turn this play into a Globe-like performance. Peter Bish’s set is minimal and lighting basic. Barnard instead uses playing spaces and Freed’s short Shakespearean-style scenes to offer homage and counterpoint all at once. He allows activity behind central scenes that supports rather than draws focus from the moment. Realism of character is balanced with formalism of presentation. This is a very nuanced production of an intellectually satisfying script.

Central to the balance of comedy and drama are the three leading players, Dave Edmunds’ balding-pated Shakespeare, Matthew Proschold’s regally flamboyant and barely closeted De Vere, and the dual roles played by Kelley Guarneri of Shakespeare’s shrewish and abandoned wife Anne Hathaway and the bitchily royal Queen Elizabeth. Barnard allows Edmunds to play up both the buffoonery of the countrified and barely literate early Shakespeare and the flashes of raw dramatic talent. Edmunds delivery of both extremes is excellent. Proschold’s performance is equally as strong, and both of them are great at presenting their character’s arcs. Proschold deepens his character from fop through man possessed by artistic passion to his retribution. Guarneri is made to play Shakespearean women, and is a joy to watch as she schemes in Elizabethan fashion to cross dress and costume herself to woo back her wayward husband.

The perils of community theatre required the casting of a woman, Jill Becvar in the role of Geoffrey, the young boy who plays the women in Globe productions. Becvar is committed and strong in the role, even as it is impossible to suspend disbelief. Christopher Williams successfully differentiates his various characters, while the remainder of the ensemble do their best in their multiple roles.

Kudos to Diane Senffner, who is becoming the valley’s go-to-gal for dialect coaching. Joey Moore’s sound design includes a lot of appropriate music, though his and Barnard’s choice to use music in a filmic way at the very end is jarring since there is no precedent for it.

There is a rough sheen to this production, but there is a strength of commitment from the performers and a careful, measured, and intelligent handling by the director that recommends this show as a must-see for Shakespearean scholars, conspiracy theorists, and appreciators of good theatre.