It was a movie about a play, and now it’s a play about a movie about a play. The transition is surprisingly seamless, and in some ways, “Shakespeare in Love” works better as a play because it situates the audience square in the middle of the experience. Full of comedy and heartthrob, and all done up in the extravagance of Elizabethan costume, it’s the perfect date night for romantics and lovers of theatre alike.
From a feminist perspective, the character of Viola De Lesseps (played wholeheartedly by Ghazal Azarbad) has at least two sides. She’s the naive virgin, betrothed against her will, the side that her fiance Lord Wessex (a convincing Anton Lipovetsky) would prefer. On the other hand, she’s the free-spirited artist who despite the risk of getting caught, performs in a play written by one of her favorite playwright: William Shakespeare (Charlie Gallant).
Spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the film: despite all the theatrics and falling deeply in love with Will, Viola does decide to go to Virginia with her new husband Wessex “to become wise,” as she puts it. Was it an act of self-sacrifice so the great Will could continue to write masterpieces for audiences to enjoy for centuries? Or was it that she really was confined to a forced marriage to Wessex? Or alternatively, did she not want to risk marrying Will after she found out he was a married man? It’s open to interpretation, but I have a feeling, the determined Viola made up her own mind.
A second strong female, Queen Elizabeth, played by Jennifer Lines, won hearts on opening night. Golden lines such as “I know something of a woman in a man’s profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that.” were delivered with Judi Dench-esque bite.
“Shakespeare in Love” runs from June 12 to September 18, 2019 at Bard on the Beach. Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall.
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– Juljka Nadir