ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Montford Park Players opened their 53rd season, “A Season of Lunatics, Lovers, & Poets,” with “The Book of Will,” written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Adam Kampouris, running at 7:30 p.m., Friday to Saturday, May 9–31 at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St.
The Montford Park Players are famous for their Shakespeare. Look no further than later this season for classics like “King Lear” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to take the outdoor stage, which has hosted no fewer than every single one of ShakesRepeare’s 38 plays over its 50+ year history.
For a theatre troupe with such a deep bond with the Bard, there may have been no better choice for MPP than “The Book of Will.”
The show is modeled on the real-life efforts of Shakespeare’s friends and rivals to collect the works of the late playwright into what would become the First Folio, a printed volume of his plays. In practice, it serves as both a eulogizing tribute to the enduring power of Shakespeare’s work and a collection of references, Easter eggs and allusions to the plays themselves.
It’s kind of like “Avengers: Endgame,” but for English majors. If you enjoy running jokes about “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” or “Hamlet” monologues, this is the play for you. There is something in “The Book of Will” for every kind of Shakespeare fan: the play deftly compiles all three Shakespearean modes – tragedy, comedy and history – into its story.
It helps that if any of the Players weren’t Shakespeare fans in their own right, you wouldn’t know it onstage. “The Book of Will” is defined by its earnestness and these actors rose to the challenge. Their enthusiasm feels authentic, raising the stakes of the story and crafting a drama filled with more heart than history.
Take Darren Marshall as the gregarious, aggrandizing Richard Burbage. While Burbage is a supporting role in “The Book of Will,” Marshall was the epitome of a scene-stealer. His performance of the famous “To be or not to be” monologue was about as good as live theater gets.
Even if you aren’t one to geek out over iambic pentameter, “The Book of Will” is still a blast. That’s largely thanks to the comic sensibilities of Jason Philips as Ben Johnson, Shakespeare’s self-absorbed, blustering rival, and the delightfully nasty Sarah Felmet as William Jaggard, seedy publisher of the First Folio. Even when dialogue leaned into reference and quotation, their comic timing kept the story moving.
Even more than comedy, tragedy or history, there is a real romance to this production of “The Book of Will.”
Maybe it’s simply the novelty of seeing a great performance in the great outdoors – during my Sunday night show, a smattering of rain fell over Act II, in true outdoor theatre fashion – but an even greater credit should be paid to Kayren McKnight’s beautiful costumes and the handsome sets designed by director Kampouris for the show’s success.
Thanks to the strength of the actors and the work the crew did to dress them, on Sunday night, Montford Park felt like a wormhole to a different time and place.
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but “The Book of Will” has a fantastic one.
As the Players embark on “The Merry Wives of Windsor” next month, a lesser-known work in Shakespeare’s oeuvre, I can recommend no better way to prepare for that show than watching this one. “The Book of Will” serves as a reminder of the miracle these shows can take this stage in the first place.
The Montford Park Players 53rd season:
- “The Book of Will,” May 9–31 – Review
- “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” June 6–28
- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” July 4–August 2
- “Cyrano de Bergerac,” August 8–30
- “King Lear,” September 5–27
- “She Kills Monsters,” October 3–25