Not Without Right: Shakespeare's Secrets

William Shakespeare, the English playwright, poet and actor, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. The son of a glove maker shunned his hereditary rights. Despite his lack of formal education and much to his parents’ dismay, he pursued his thespian dreams and moved to London to tread the boards and pen his musings into one hundred and forty sonnets and thirty-seven plays. He died at the age of fifty-two. One month prior he made a will, claiming he was in ‘im perfect health & memorie, god be prayed’.

Shakespeare, as we know and love him, remains a contentious literary genius, offering inspiration through the ages and for evermore. Two very clever and witty performers, Colin Cox (writer) and fellow thespian Alessandra Manon (actor), have conjured up a delightful true-to-life biographical story of The Bard. Together they have travelled the seas, far from their base in Los Angeles, to offer audiences a hilarious and colourful interpretation of our illustrious writer.

Cox combines historical accounts, including Shakespeare’s authentic controversies, sexuality questionings about a chunk of sonnets and of course his philandering ways. The show is animated with colourful and playful skits prompted by his muse (Manon), reflecting on his life while in the act of penning his works. His vivacious genie-like muse (Manon) is a wonderful contrast to Cox’s rambling Shakespeare, who, at his desk, quill in hand debates with himself about how to carve up his possessions as he reflects on his successful career and life.

Shakespeare’s muse (Manon) is there to herald his life, winds him up with zealous and fanciful energy; she is there to mystify his senses, provide feedback, challenge his rabid intellectual internal monologues and provide confidence and revery when he reflects and when at logger-heads with his contemporary rivals such as the likes of Ben Jonson (1572-1637) and while championing Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) for providing him with enlightenment on iambic pentameter and to his genius.

Cox offers personal and intimate revelations about Shakespeare’s family homelife and sketchy details of conflict with his father. Shakespeare (Cox) harks on about his 26-year-old wife Anne Hathaway, who he married after impregnating her when he was just 18 years old. She gave birth to Susanna, who inherited the most including his two properties. They had twins, Judith who lived on, and Hamnet, who died at the age of 11 of unknown causes, but was possibly swept up by yet another bout of black death that hit England.

The two performers follow the long road of Shakespeare’s writing life, give life to his influencers and his intensive character studies that include Richard the Third (1592-94); the birth of his much disputed character Shylock (Merchant Of Venice,1596-98), while reflecting on the racial bigotry of the times (Cox, highlights that not much has changed when dealing with racism and stereotypes in our modern times) as Manon continues to offer an array of contentious caricatures that are usually comical and sometimes poignantly serious, such as her argument in practise that Mercutio is the main protagonist in Romeo and Juliet (1597).

Defiantly a show about Shakespeare and his secrets, love and passions, penned by a wonderful and zestful performer and real-life professor, Colin Cox, accompanied by a very talented and superb actor Alessandra Manon, together they entertain, challenge and provoke their audiences.

Flora Georgiou