There have been countless attempts to imagine sequels to Shakespeare’s famous plays, and After Shakespeare joins the ranks of Shakespeare sequels as a one-person play containing four characters from the Bard’s plays who reflect on their lives and reveal surprising facets of themselves to the audience.
After Shakespeare contains four vignettes, each focusing on a different character. In truth, the title After Shakespeare is slightly misleading, as while the scenes themselves are indeed set after the end of their original play, the majority of each scene is taken up with retelling the plot of the original story (especially those dedicated to Hamlet and Lady Macbeth), albeit with a new perspective or additional, paradigm-altering information. The female characters chosen to add additional depth to are particularly interesting, with Portia revealing she has continued to disguise herself as Balthazar in order to continue pursuing her intellectual interests, while Lady Macbeth reveals she never went mad at all and that her thirst for Duncan’s head went much further than a mere lust for power. These ideas are fascinating, and I would like to see them given more time in a larger production. The presence of four separate scenes within this production is almost a shame, as each could be the basis of an entire story itself, so while the ambition is commendable, the ideas introduced might be – even deserve to be – better explored in a show that focuses solely on them.
Lexi Wolfe’s performance is strong and she is able to give enough characterisation to each person she brings on stage to make each vignette feel distinct. Her rendition of Lady Macbeth feels particularly authentic and makes for a good finale. She is engaging and confident as she addresses the audience and the comedic moments scattered throughout the show land well. There is perhaps opportunity to have a second actor onstage, particularly in the first scene, as her address to the audience can sometimes feel a little awkward.
Theatre 3 at The Space is hot, but if you can brave it, and if you are a fan of Shakespeare, then After Shakespeare makes for decent viewing. I hope that this is not the end of the ideas explored within it and that Wolfe’s exploration of Shakespearean ideas onstage will continue to evolve!
