The Book Of Will (A Noise Within 2023 Production) Theatre Review

production photo by Craig Schwartz

This year marks the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of what is arguably the single most important book in human history, what we refer to as the First Folio, Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. And so it is the perfect time to see a performance of Lauren Gunderson’s The Book Of Will, a play that not only celebrates the people who dedicated themselves to the book’s production, but in a larger sense celebrates the theatre itself. And no, one does not have to be a Shakespeare scholar, or even a big fan, to enjoy the new production of the play put on by the good folks at A Noise Within in Pasadena. Sure, a familiarity with Shakespeare’s works and biography help, but is far from necessary to appreciate the performance.

This production stars Jeremy Rabb as Henry Condell and Geoff Elliott as John Heminges, the two men from Shakespeare’s theatre company who worked to put together the First Folio as a way to preserve their friend’s great works. Both of these actors have tremendous talent. Jeremy Rabb was wonderful as Lafeu in last year’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well, and gave a brilliant performance as Roderigo in the 2019 production of Othello. Geoff Elliott gave us a fantastic King Lear in 2017, and was incredibly moving as Caliban in the 2014 production of The Tempest. Both deliver excellent performances here. The rest of the cast, each actor playing multiple roles, is also quite strong, something that is expected from this company.

The play begins in 1619, three years after the death of William Shakespeare, and opens in the middle of a performance of Hamlet. We are treated to just a bit of that play’s most famous soliloquy, but it is clear that the company putting on that play is using the bad quarto, for Hamlet says, “To be or not to be, ay, there’s the point.” So right away the importance of collecting William Shakespeare’s actual words is planted in the audience’s mind. That actor, by the way, is played by Kelvin Morales, who was delightful as Puck in the Independent Shakespeare Company’s 2018 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and delivers another good performance here. From the theatre, the action shifts to a tap house, where Condell, Heminges and Richard Burbage (Frederick Stuart) have gathered to drink and to discuss the mess they just witnessed on the stage. The scene is quite funny, and the rapport among the three is perfect. Frederick Stuart, by the way, was fantastic as Don Pedro in this year’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, and as Leontes in the 2020 production of The Winter’s Tale. And as Richard Burbage, he is endearing, lovable, and hilarious. He also has to prove his own talent as an actor, since Richard Burbage was the most famous actor of his day, most of Shakespeare’s great leads having been written for him, and Frederick Stuart does just that when he performs a brief but powerful medley of those parts to prove a point to the younger actor. It’s a moment that had the audience cheering.

But as funny as the scene is, there is also great heartache among the three at having witnessed one of their friend’s greatest works being destroyed, and knowing that they are all now growing older and will be unable to keep the work alive themselves. Though John Heminges’ daughter Alice (Nicole Javier) is there to remind them that none of them is Lear yet, a nice touch. But we get the sense of three men who see their world changing, and not for the better, something that most people can relate to, I believe. They do not, however, give in to despair. And much of their strength comes from the women in their lives, who play important, and largely unsung, roles in their successes. In addition to Nicole Javier as Alice, this production features Deborah Strang as Rebecca Heminges, John’s wife, and Trisha Miller as Elizabeth Condell, Henry’s wife. Deborah Strang was phenomenal as Paulina in the 2020 production of The Winter’s Tale, and Trisha Miller gave one of the best performances of Goneril I’ve ever seen. Again, there is a whole lot of talent in this company. And the characters of the wives provide the play with one of its most touching scenes, when the stage is split into two locations, Henry and Elizabeth stage left, John and Rebecca stage right, an intimate scene that makes these people are the more real to us. Trisha Miller also plays the role of Emilia Bassano Lanier, the woman many believe to be the Dark Lady of the sonnets, but who was also a creative force of her own.

The role of Ben Jonson was initially played by Chuma Gault, but last night was performed by Alex Morris. The material with Ben Jonson is particularly hilarious, playing on what is known of that writer and his connection to Shakespeare. Morris really nails the comedy, but is also simultaneously moving when he confesses having stayed up reading all of Shakespeare’s work. Also delivering a funny, yet earnest performance is Kasey Mahaffy as Ralph Crane, known as “Shakespeare’s first editor.” Mahaffy is noted for his comic ability, playing Trinculo in The Tempest, Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, and Garry in the 2019 production of Noises Off (in that last, he was absolutely outstanding). And the character who provides the most hope for the future is Isaac Jaggard (Stanley Andrew Jackson), son of William Jaggard, who printed the First Folio. Stanley Andrew Jackson (who did a wonderful job earlier this year as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing) gives the role the right amount of heart and enthusiasm, and really connects the past with the future.

While you don’t need to have a lot of knowledge about Shakespeare to enjoy the play, there are some jokes you might not fully appreciate without it. For example, there is a running joke about Pericles being Henry Condell’s favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, while the others don’t seem to recall it. As they attempt to gather as much of Shakespeare’s work together as possible, Condell is particularly eager to find that one. Pericles, as it turns out, is the one of the thirty-seven plays that was not included in the First Folio, and knowing that makes the first mention of it all the more funny. There is also a joke on Love’s Labour’s Won, a play that was mentioned in the earliest praise of Shakespeare’s work, but one for which we have no text whatsoever (I am not alone in believing it to be another title for The Taming Of The Shrew rather than a lost work, but the joke here plays on it being a lost work). But again, the play is a delight, and is quite effective even for those without extensive knowledge of Shakespeare’s work. Though the play takes place over the course of four years, it moves at a fast pace, and does not stop to indicate that time has passed. And while it is quite funny, it is also fascinating, and the audience finds itself rooting for these characters. I imagine I wasn’t the only one who got a bit of a thrill when the pages of the First Folio were shown hanging, as on a clothes line. I felt the excitement that those present must have felt when their efforts were finally paying off. And when Anne Hathaway Shakespeare (Deborah Strang) opens the finished book and sees the picture of her husband, it is one of the most emotionally satisfying and exciting moments I’ve experienced in the theatre.

This production of The Book Of Will was directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, and runs through June 4th. Visit the theatre’s website for the complete schedule. There is one fifteen-minute intermission. A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, California. Free parking is located at the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Parking Structure.