Have you ever been to a one-man show and knew you were watching a master actor and creator at work? Well, that is exactly what you know as you sit at the DR2 Theatre (E. 15th Street) and watch the phenomenal Patrick Page in the show he created and performs, “All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain.”
This production is a master class in how the great Bard created his characters—how Shakespeare created the villains that we have all come to despise, hate, and judge. Page takes the audience through the history of Shakespeare’s life from his childhood to adulthood. You learn about what theater he was exposed to as a child. Page tells a candid story about Shakespeare. He does not make him come across as a perfect playwright or person. He says that Shakespeare had a shady side. He describes what happened in Shakespeare’s rise to fame. He talks about all aspects of Shakespeare’s life and the audience gets a clear understanding of the villains that Shakespeare created and what was happening in his life when they were created.
What’s so fantastic about this show is how Page gives tidbits of information about each of Shakespeare’s many villains, such as MacBeth, Iago, Prospero, and so many others. With each explanation, he brilliantly renders a famous speech, a brilliant monologue that the characters performs in celebrated plays like “Hamlet,” “MacBeth,” “Othello,” and “The Tempest.”
Page delivers this production with such drama, passion, and feeling that you find yourself simply mesmerized with each scene. He gives us Shakespeare’s works in the order that they were written. He also gives us the history of Shakespeare starting out as an actor and then becoming a playwright. This is one of the most interesting, gripping evenings you could ask for in the theater. One of the reasons this play held my attention was that I have been a fan of Shakespeare since junior high school, when my English teacher first introduced the class to Shakespeare’s work.
There is something so beautiful about Shakespearean language in his plays, but what was so enthralling about Page’s production is that he endeavored to let the audience know the climate and culture of the times—the racism that existed against Jewish people and people with dark skin. He let the audience know that Shakespeare crafted characters who had some of the negative attributes that society attributed to these groups of people, but he did not do it to show agreement with the stereotypes—he instead gave the characters redeeming qualities as well, which then challenged the discrimination of the times.
Page by no means makes Shakespeare seem to be the end all: He notes that Shakespeare stole from another famous playwright of his time. He demonstrates that a monologue by a character from another playwright’s play sounded similar to one of Shakespeare’s monologues.
I love how Page explains that Shakespeare’s personal life directly affected his playwrighting. We learn that when he was in love, he wrote “Romeo & Juliet.” Shakespeare wrote a lot of dark scenes in a lot of dramatic works and Page delivers those scenes with precision, accuracy, temperament, tone, stance, and shading. This is a man who has performed in many Shakespearean works and the proof is on that stage! Throughout the production, he wears the “figurative hats” of many characters, but he also turns them off and goes into the mode of educator as he relays what he has learned about Shakespeare, the act of creating the villain, the definition of evil, and why Shakespeare’s techniques are still popular today.
Anyone who has seen Page perform knows that he has that deep voice that can send chills or thrills into the soul. He is an actor who is often cast in evil roles, but what’s so interesting about seeing him do this production is that he distinguishes between the different types of evil characters that are out there—he explains the characteristics of the psychopath and asks how many might be in the audience. You will be astonished, you will laugh, you will learn!
This is a production I highly recommend to everyone. Page is perfection in his writing and performance. Patrick Page triumphs. The direction of Simon Godwin is splendid. This play gives you everything you would ever want to know about Shakespeare’s developing the idea of the villain, a better understanding of what he accomplished with his plays, and the importance of his everlasting legacy for the theater and other mediums.
The technical aspects of this play have to be acknowledged and appreciated because they contribute greatly to the eeriness and depth of each moment. This production has scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado; costume design by Emily Rebholz, sound design by Darron L. West, and spectacular lighting design by Stacey Derosier. Go see a master at work, telling you about another master. For tickets, visit allthedevilsplay.com. You only have until the end of March.
