The work of William Shakespeare is widely known and studied in literature courses across the US, and have been done and redone in different adaptations and interpretations.
Donald Sutton plays several roles in “The Book of Will”, a play that focuses on the troubles plaguing thespians in the wake of Shakespeare’s death.
“On paper, it is a show about Shakespeare and If you’ve studied, you will get the jokes and Easter eggs,” Sutton said. “But this show is for people who have loved and lost. It will remind you to feel again.”
“The Book of Will” opens Friday March 6 and runs until Sunday March 22.
Sutton plays the roles of a barman, stage manager Ed Knight, and publisher Isaac Jaggard.
Sutton said that he enjoyed his roles, and described each one.
The barman is “a hype man for the antagonist roles” according to Sutton.
Ed Knight is a stage manager who demonstrates that it is not easy to perform Shakespeare without him.
The character that Sutton will be performing most is Isaac Jaggard, son of publisher Will Jaggard.
“Will Jaggard is an absolute butt face,” Sutton said. “If I know my history well enough, he is the only man Shakespeare ever hated.”
Will Jaggard in the play is a publisher in a time of many fake plays that make a mockery of what Shakespeare wrote.
Isaac is in his father’s business, but “wants to do right by both the books and his morals,” Sutton said.
The show being about actors lends itself to playhouses with a resident cast.
In the days of Shakespeare, in addition to all roles being performed by men, many shows had similar total casts, meaning that the actors knew each other quite well.
“This show was made for people, for companies with residencies, for casts that have lived and loved and lost together on the stage and off of it,” Sutton said. “This show, more than some others, gives seasoned actors a chance to be seasoned actors.”
Sutton emphasized that this show was not just for thespians, historians or high school literature teachers.
”This show is not directed towards actors, but it is written for actors to perform, Sutton said. “That may seem self-explanatory, but it isn’t common that we as actors can portray the relationships we build with our fellow cast over the years.”
Released in 2017, “The Book of Will” has been performed at a number of Spakespeare festival and this popularity introduced Sutton to the material.
”I read the show about a year ago, and it has become one of my favorite scripts,” Sutton said.
“The Bard was a playwright who wrote for the people, and this script is written for people too,” Sutton said. “We think of Shakespeare as sophisticat, but it really is well spoken fart jokes. This script isn’t quite the same in that way, but the emotions present really elevate the show.”
Lauren Gunderson, the playwright who wrote “The Book of Will”, took many liberties with the script, but did take care to incorporate real characters from the theatrical world during and after Shakespeare.
The play follows Henry Condell and John Heminges, two actors from Shakespeare’s troupe.
To combat the forgeries being passed off as the real deal, the two actors want to immortalize their friend by publishing the first official compilation of Shakespeare’s works.
The play strongly emphasizes the relationships between people: bonds between lovers, friends, enemies and the dead.
”This show will teach you how to value life,” Sutton said. “It teaches you how to value every single day, because it could be your last. I hope that this show does well. I hope that our audience falls in love with this story as much as I have.”
