The production opens with a distraught Shakespeare, suffering from that dreaded affliction, writer’s block, while under deadline pressure to complete a play with the unfortunate working title - Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter. It’s only when he meets and falls in love with the stagestruck Viola, and with a little help from his mentor Christopher (Kit) Marlowe (Theo Landey), that his constipation of words ends. And well, you can figure out the final name of his play for yourself.
The rest of the cast includes John Maytham, better known for his afternoon talk show on Cape Talk, who dons his thespian cap as the money lender, Fennyman; Robyn Scott is a very blowsy Queen Elizabeth; Lucy Tops plays Viola’s long-suffering nurse and Walter van Dyk, her dad; while Jason K Ralph plays her villainous husband-to-be, Lord Wessex.
Shakespeare in Love is playing at The Fugard Theatre, which, with its balconies and intimate setting, adds to the Elizabethean atmosphere.
So, if you’re looking for an evening of slick comical escapism, the good news is the run has been extended till 25 November 2017. Purchase tickets via www.thefugard.com.
