'The Book of Will' makes for fun summer night

Posted August 28, 2019

Will North West

By Regina Belt-Daniels, Northwest Herald, August 25, 2019

The moon, the whippoorwills, the bats and exquisite acting are guaranteed.

A popular venue for more than 40 years, the American Players Theatre selects shows that sell out fast. Their presentations, true to their Shakespearean mission, include everything from “MacBeth” to the newer historical comedy, “The Book of Will,” with a sprinkling of other works this season (“Fences,” “She Stoops to Conquer,” “Twelfth Night,” “A Doll House” and “A Doll House 2”). All are executed marvelously at the beautiful outdoor Hill Theater or smaller, indoor Touchstone Theater.

A perfect night under the stars in the remote Wisconsin woods was our ticket for “The Book of Will,” by playwright Lauren Gunderson. It’s set in 1619 in London. Two of the King’s Men players, John Heminges and Henry Condell, are gathering and trying to publish William Shakespeare’s plays into a single volume (aka Folio).

As intimates of Shakespeare and “seasoned lion of the stage” Richard Burbage, their deaths have brought the realization that the plays are being plagiarized, stolen, bungled and re-adapted “injuriously and incorrectly.”

It doesn’t sound like the makings for a comedy, but through all the anxieties, toll and losses, the preservation endeavor takes on the two leading actors, and it is a brilliant example of a human narrative comedy laced with friendship and dedication. Thank heavens, Heminges and Condell persevered – an improbable task well worth the undertaking for future generations.

The APT production, under the direction of Tim Ocel, is a skillful, engaging, adeptly played comedic docudrama. The entire ensemble, from the youngest fruit-selling child to the eldest publisher, exudes talent. Best of all, you don’t have to “get” or be a Shakespeare aficionado to follow the unfolding plot (although there is a delicious recurrent joke involving Pericles, but no real preknowledge is needed). This is a play about the preservation of truth.

Read the full review here!