The Last Will
by Robert Brustein

Name: The Last Will
Brand: Robert Brustein
SKU: 9780573702235
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

The Last Will Book Cover — The Last Will Cover

Highlights

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90 mins 16th Century/Elizabethan Ensemble Cast Interior Set Period Costumes

Synopsis

The Last Will finds William Shakespeare retired at his country home on Stratford after decades of struggle and success in the city of London.

In the last stages of a fatal illness, his deteriorating mind obliterates the distinction between fiction and fact, and the playwright begins acting as a character in his own plays.

Richard Burbage, leader of Shakespeare's acting company, attempts to persuade him to return to London and to playwriting, as Will wrestles with his suspicions, delusions, family resentment, and final testaments.

The Last Will is the final piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare.

The first installment is The English Channel followed by Mortal Terror .

Press Reviews

"Robert Brustein lovingly kills off William Shakespeare in 'The Last Will,' a speculative version of the end of Shakespeare’s life that completes Mr. Brustein’s trilogy on him." - New York Times"Mr. Brustein...takes the few known facts about Shakespeare’s last years and shapes a story that fits them, centering it on the writer’s will. He imagines the genesis of that somewhat odd document, which left Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, his “second-best bed” and treated his two daughters unevenly." - New York Times"The well-written script successfully fuses Shakespearian language with a modern, speculative story taking place in Elizabethan England."
— Theatre Mania

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 48	—	—	48
ANNE HATHAWAY (Will's wife) Will's wife, 56	female	—	Will's wife, 56
SUSANNA SHAKESPEARE (HALL) Will's eldest daughter, 30	female	30	Will's eldest daughter, 30
JUDITH SHAKESPEARE Will's younger daughter, 27	female	—	Will's younger daughter, 27
FRANCIS COLLINS Lawyer, 47	—	—	Lawyer, 47
RICHARD BURBAGE Actor in Will's company, 45	—	—	Actor in Will's company, 45