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To W.H.

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To W.H. is a play that examines the potential Sexuality of William Shakespeare and the identity of "W.H." who has been referred to a number of times in Shakespeare's work.[1][2][3] The play was written by Stuart Draper, directed by Anton Krause and first played in The Hobgoblin in Spring 2006.[4][5][3][6]

Reception

The play has received a great deal of attention, due both to its playwright/actor and because of its content. The British Theatre Guide wrote, "Funny and poignant, To WH takes the audience through Shakespeare's life, from his first ill-fated meeting with WH, to his death in Stratford. Punctuated by blues-style renditions of the sonnets from the Dark Lady herself, To WH finally bangs the nail into the coffin of Shakespeare's heterosexuality"[7], while The Stage reviewed and wrote, "Anton Krause’s production is rather rough around the edges but it’s performed with warmth and humour".[3] Indie London opined, "To W.H. combines the soul and passion of Shakespeare’s sonnets (the majority of which were written to a Mr W.H.) with the exuberance and bawdiness that characterise his most exciting comedies."[8], while the UK Theatre Web writes, "Stuart Draper has written a pacy romp which interlaces a large amount of Shakespeare’s writing...", and "Draper plays Shakespeare with gusto, delighting in the fact that, like the bard, what’s the point if the playwright doesn’t give himself the best parts? Alongside his clowning and wit, he shows the loneliness and despair to give a rounded character"[9]

See also

Additional sources

  • Waldrop Shelton, "Introduction: These other Victorians"[10]
  • Edward Gleave of BBC, "Q&A with a Four Weddings actor Simon Callow"[11]
  • New York Times, by Peter Marks, "Have You Met Willie, the Tattooed Dark Lady?"[12]

References

  1. ^ Sonnets to W.H. in The World History of Male Love, accessed 01-22-2009
  2. ^ Muir, Kenneth, et al. Shakespeare, Man of the Theater University of Delaware Press, 1983, ISBN 0874132177, accessed 01-22-2009
  3. ^ a b c [1] The Stage (April 21, 2006), review of To W.H., accessed 01-22-2009
  4. ^ The Playwrights database, Stuart Draper, accessed 01-22-2009
  5. ^ rainbownetwork.com, interview with Anton Krause and Stuart Draper, accessed 01-22-2009
  6. ^ arts-archive.org, To W.H., accessed 01-22-2009
  7. ^ [2] British Theatre Guide, "Dateline: 10th March, 2006 - Melmoth's Pub Theatre Rep Season", accessed 01-22-2009
  8. ^ Indie London, "To W.H. - The Hobgoblin", accessed 01-22-2009
  9. ^ UK Theater Web (April 21, 2006, review of To W.H., accessed 01-22-2009
  10. ^ Waldrop Shelton, "Introduction: These other Victorians Introduction: These other Victorians - Studies in the Literary Imagination, Fall 2002, accessed 01-22-2009
  11. ^ [3] BBC, By Edward Gleave, "Q&A with a 'Four Weddings' actor", accessed 01-22-2009
  12. ^ Marks, Peter. Have You Met Willie, the Tattooed Dark Lady? The New York Times, THEATER REVIEW, August 13, 1999 (About Shakespeare's infatuation with Willie Hughes in a different play), accessed 01-22-2009
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