Shakespeare is known for writing some of the most famous romantic plays in history such as Romeo and Juliet. But little is known about the romantic life of the acclaimed playwright, which is why the story of Shakespeare in Love is unique. It was first portrayed on the big screen in 1998 and it won seven Oscars. Shakespeare in Love has now been adapted for the theatre and it promises to deliver a comical, and romantic story to a Brighton audience this summer. It has all the iconic themes that Shakespeare fans enjoy, such as forbidden love and tragedy, and there’s also a touch of modern-day female empowerment.
Shakespeare in Love will be performed in Brighton Little Theatre on the 8th -12th of August and in Brighton Open Air Theatre on the 17th-19th of August. It’s suitable for all ages. It will be directed by Claire Lewis. The story follows William Shakespeare who will be played by Lewis Todhunter, as he navigates the troubles of having writer’s block and debt. He meets a noblewoman called Viola de Lesseps who is played by Melissa Paris, and she inspires him to write Romeo and Juliet. They begin a secret love affair as Shakespeare is married, and Viola is betrothed to Lord Wessex who is the villain. Claire Lewis, director, said: “I think this is a really entertaining show, and I think it celebrates all that is good about theatre because it’s got a bit of everything in it.”
Brighton Open Air Theatre (Image: Brighton Open Air Theatre)
Viola de Lesseps’s character is unique because she is not the stereotypical prim upper-class woman, that was common in the Elizabethan era. She is headstrong and passionate about theatre, as she watches all of Shakespeare’s plays. She dreams of performing on stage but women during that time were not allowed to be in plays. Men would play female roles. Viola goes against this societal norm and pretends to be a boy called ‘Thomas Kent’, in order to be cast as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Melissa Paris, actor, said: “That’s a risky thing to do for anyone of that time, but for a woman of that social standing to try and pull that off, I really admire her bravery and her mischief.”
There was a lot of competition for Viola de Lesseps’s character during the auditions for this play. Melissa Paris, said: “I walked out and was like ‘oh that was fun but not a shot in hell’ especially because there were people there that I’ve seen in plays, and I adore.” These auditions were open to everyone, but most of the cast are from Brighton and have been in local theatre shows before. Melissa Paris, said: “We all auditioned in front of each other and that can be really scary. But you go in with the mindset of even if you don’t get it, it’s really enjoyable watching everyone.” Viola’s character also requires a musical background.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in the 1998 Shakespeare in Love film (Image: Brighton Little Theatre)
This play is not historically accurate, it’s a fictional story. It’s based on the 1998 Shakespeare in Love film that was written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. But some elements of the story are real. Claire Lewis, said: “Some of the characters really existed for example, John Webster was a contemporary playwright of Shakespeare but younger than him, then you’ve got Queen Elizabeth I, that was a fantastic role.” Other characters that existed in real life include Henslowe, who owned the Rose Theatre in London at the time. Kit Marlowe’s character was also a real person, and many believed that he wrote some of Shakespeare’s work. Claire Lewis, said: “A lot of the jokes come from Shakespeare’s plays, so the more you know Shakespeare the more you’ll find it funny.”
Shakespeare in Love is in its early stages of production as the actors were cast this week. Rehearsals will start in June, and they will last for six/eight weeks. The rehearsal process is intense, as the actors will rehearse four times a week. Melissa Paris, said: “It always feels like rehearsals go so fast, you blink and it’s the dress run.” The lines in the play will not be modern and colloquial, and the Romeo and Juliet sections will be in iambic pentameter. Melissa Paris, said: “As much as you can work on a scene, I think you still need to maintain a level of organic emotion that comes out of something because as humans that’s what you do.”
Shakespeare in Love being performed in Noel Coward Theatre in London in 2015 (Image: Noel Coward Theatre)
This is an amateur production of Shakespeare in Love. It was performed professionally on stage between 2014- 2015 and toured successfully. The professional production received many positive reviews. This is the first time that Shakespeare in Love is being performed in Brighton. Tickets will cost between £10-12.
To find out more visit, https://www.brightonlittletheatre.com/events/shakespeareinlove.