You have never seen an autobiographical, one-man show that had so much vulnerability, trauma, vividly shared details of one’s troubled youth and stood as a testament to the determination of the human spirit, as you will when you see Jacob Ming-Trent in his one-man show, written and performed by him, titled, “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” playing at The Public’s Shiva Theater. Ming-Trent, a Shakespearean actor — who was smitten with Shakespeare at the age of 12 — tells a story of growing up in a dysfunctional household, experiencing homelessness at a young age, feeling he had no security in life, but finding solace and comfort in Shakespeare.
Sitting in the audience and listening to Ming-Trent’s very candid remembrances of his traumatic youth, you have to wonder how he survived and was able to persevere long enough to begin to receive blessings. The experiences he had as a child would have definitely broken most people. He shares that he was saved by Shakespeare, but he was also saved by the love of his father and grandmother, and the adults he encountered in his life that had a kind, encouraging word — which sadly were few. Throughout the homelessness, hunger, and the feeling that most everyone around you turns their back on you, Ming-Trent shares finding a different type of family and a different type of feeling of belonging. As a teenager, he faced trauma that was devastating to hear about, but again, serves as a testament to his determination and resilience.
Ming-Trent shares his love and admiration for the poetic writings of William Shakespeare, while also championing the work of Biggie Smalls and Tupac. He enthusiastically shares the power that language can have in all of our lives. He often expresses himself through Shakespearean quotes and with rhyme. When he first comes on the stage you know that you are going to be in for an amazing experience as he greets everyone, thanks them for being there, and then throughout referrals to the audience as a congregation, because there is a feeling of being in church and hearing someone give testimony. It is intoxicating to witness how with every detail of his past, Ming-Trent pulls the audience closer and closer into his story and his rebirth. The rebirth of his spirit, despite his trials and tribulations. The empathy you feel for him is enormous, but so is the joy by the end of his journey.
He has no problem sharing that as a fat, Black man, he had a hard time getting accepted by society to be in Shakespearean works. He was often told he was not right for any Shakespearean role. I am quite grateful that he did not listen. To hear him utter Shakespeare’s beautiful poetry, to hear him quote text from the Bard’s various works, you see that he is deeply engaged with all the Bard put on paper and that he gets the deeper meaning of Shakespeare’s work. Like when it comes to, “To be or not to be, that is the question,” these are profoundly understood words, especially to a young man that contemplated suicide at the lowest times in his life. Ming-Trent is someone who found himself throughout his life having to defend the greatness of Shakespeare and he was always able to meet the challenge. I’ve seen Ming-Trent perform Shakespearean roles and I can say for certain that he inhabits Shakespeare’s characters with his own soul and heart, and makes them uniquely funny and entertaining.
By the time this 90-minute tour-de-force is completed, you sit there feeling stunned and amazed by this truly gifted Shakespearean thespian. You sit there moved by this Black man who has taken the time to look deep in his soul and found a way to make sense of the tragedies he has faced. He has found a way to put his wounds on display, in order to help to heal someone else. Witnessing his story you know that one can survive just about anything if you have support, and sometimes it is not necessarily the support you thought you needed. Support can come from all sorts of places. In Ming-Trent’s case, it came from Shakespeare, his love and commitment to the work, it came from the ancestors and the individuals in his life that represented the positive moments. With all this Black man went through, he definitely beat the odds. You have got to go and experience this play. While Ming-Trent bares his soul, the production also has another asset, the very engaging direction of Tony Taccone.
The play is a Red Bull Theater production and a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Folger Theatre and will run through Oct. 25. For tickets visit https://publictheatre.org.
