Ghost Songs (Independent Shakespeare Company's 2026 Production) Theatre Review

The Independent Shakespeare Company is known for its excellent outdoor productions of plays by William Shakespeare, which it puts on every summer in Griffith Park. But it also has an indoor theatre where the company is active the rest of the year. And in this space they often go beyond the works of the bard, though sometimes offering productions that are in some way related to his plays. Such is the case with the company's phenomenal new original work, Ghost Songs, a musical that takes place approximately three decades after Shakespeare's death, during the dark time of the English civil war, when the theatres were ordered to close. Written by Independent Shakespeare Company co-founder David Melville, this play explores themes of censorship, artistic expression and the transformative power of a good story. This debut production stars Jennifer Hardy as Catherine (or Cat, as she is called fondly by Agnes), and Christie Coran as Agnes, housemaid to Cat's family. David Melville himself plays several roles, including an illiterate servant, Cat's father, and a man who, as a boy, played the women's parts on the stage. This production is directed by Leonora Pitts.

As the play begins, Agnes and Cat are staring at a trunk that is decorated with images of naked people. Cat, who is young and inexperienced and indoctrinated into her father's religion, is mostly horrified, though also mesmerized, by what she sees. Agnes, who has recently returned to England from Massachusetts after the death of her husband, identifies some of the images as coming from mythology, including Pyramus and Thisbe (a tale familiar to Shakespeare fans, for its delightfully awkward enactment in A Midsummer Night's Dream). A letter from her father reveals that this trunk contains "vulgar items" and is to be kept out of sight, with instructions for the images to be whitewashed. When Agnes takes the paintbrush across the images, we in the audience can't help but react with revulsion at this destruction of art. But Cat, at this moment, thinks it's right, and worries that she is damned for even briefly viewing the scenes depicted on the trunk. Apparently her only reading material thus far has been the Bible, which she takes as truth, and doesn't understand the concept of making up stories to entertain and enlighten. So when the trunk is opened and pages come tumbling out, she is understandably fascinated.

Very few plays from Shakespeare's time have survived in manuscript form. Many were likely lost to fire, first when the Globe burned down in 1613, and then later during the Great Fire of London. But this play offers other likely reasons why so few manuscripts still exist. Since the theatres were closed and plays were considered vulgar, it certainly seems possible that those with religious fervor would take it upon themselves to gather up these documents and dispose of them. Also, paper was scarce during the war and had other uses, as mentioned, to both our great horror and amusement, in this play. "Do you think this is all that is left?" Cat asks, looking into the trunk. The rescue of these manuscripts becomes important to those of us in the audience even before it does to the characters, for we know something of what was lost. But interestingly we learn more as the play goes on, for the titles of the manuscripts found in the trunk are of actual plays that no longer exist. The first one mentioned, taken by Nathan for use as paper for the latrine, is Love's Labour's Won. For those unfamiliar with the title, it is a play mentioned by Francis Meres in 1598 in his list of Shakespeare's plays. Whether it is a lost play or an alternative title to an existing work, we don't know. The others mentioned might be even less known, but they come from the list that Philip Henslowe kept. And we can only guess what those plays might be about. Our imaginations are certainly fired when hearing these titles uttered by Agnes and Cat.

Manuscripts are not the only items discovered within the trunk. There are also stage props, including a skull (chapless, of course), a dagger and a crown. The crown is placed by Agnes on Cat's head, as the two face downstage. There are several wonderful moments like that, when the two are pretending to be on a stage while actually being on a stage before an audience. And that is something that Shakespeare would certainly have appreciated. There is also something of a vicarious thrill for those in the audience who wish we could find such a trunk. Can you imagine? Apart from the props and the manuscripts which have been lost to us, Cat and Agnes discover manuscripts to some of Shakespeare's known plays, including The Two Gentlemen Of Verona and Romeo And Juliet. Cat remarks, upon reading The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, that it is easier to read than the other manuscripts for it isn't blotted like the rest (a delightful reference to Ben Jonson's line about Shakespeare). Certainly, the more you know about Shakespeare, the more you will love this play. But a familiarity with the works and life of William Shakespeare is not necessary to enjoy it, for its themes are not only universal, but especially relevant to today's dark landscape, when the arts and free expression are again threatened, when nationalism and religion are used to censor and silence voices.

Also, the songs in this production are excellent. Music plays an important role in many of Shakespeare's plays, especially the way this company approaches the works. A few years ago, the Independent Shakespeare Company turned The Comedy Of Errors into a musical titled Live At The Porpentine, featuring some wonderful original music by David Melville, and then brought that music into this summer's production of Comedy Of Errors. This company also gave us a disco version of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2023. So these guys certainly know their way when it comes to music. And both Christie Coran and Jennifer Hardy can sing. Not only can they sing, but they are able to show character development within a song. One of the most enjoyable songs is "I Won't," a particularly funny number, especially when Cat sings "No, I won't" and Agnes responds, "Yes, you will." The "Marriott Must" song is also a total delight. And Christie Coran delivers a beautiful performance of the song "One Of These Days." David Melville, who is always a joy to watch, does a wonderful job on the song about when the play houses came down. His line "And I was once adored" reminds us of Sir Andrew's famous line from Twelfth Night. There is a funny moment when Cat thinks his song is over and asks a question, only to be shushed by Captain Clark, who then continues the song. The stage itself is a sort of wooden O, though on its side from the audience's perspective. The piano work, by the way, is by Dave Beukers, who is also the production's music director.

Jennifer Hardy and Christie Coran, who are both new to the company, deliver tremendous and captivating performances. Jennifer Hardy is adorable when reading lines from The Two Gentlemen Of Verona. And when they act out a bit of Romeo And Juliet, there is a nice moment when Agnes expresses hope that she's getting the lines right because there are multiple versions of a certain speech. Cat, at that point, has her (Juliet's) lines memorized. She has given herself completely to the theatre, to the joy of acting. It is like the two now inhabit a completely different world from that which we saw them at the beginning of the play. The transformation is particularly remarkable in Cat, and we have a great sense of the magic of theatre working upon her. She becomes caught up in the beauty of it, the poetry of it, the emotion of it, and is much livelier, much freer now that she's been reading the plays. Agnes, we sense, maintains a more serious disposition, as when she tells Cat that the world doesn't make space for Romeos and Juliets. And we understand something of where she's coming from when we learn a little more about her husband. But they both are determined to save the manuscripts, and to do so, they take a page from the plot of The Two Gentlemen Of Verona (and a few other Shakespeare plays) and disguise themselves as boys. They find help from some voices from the past. And while we know the outcome of their endeavor, we can't help but find ourselves cheering them on. After all, it's about more than saving those pages. It's about saving that spark within them. The message is to keep singing on.

This debut production of Ghost Songs runs through November 22, 2026. Visit the company's website for the complete schedule. There is one intermission. The theatre is located at 3191 Casitas Ave., Suite 130, in Los Angeles, California. There is a free parking lot next to the theatre, as well as plenty of street parking.