Shakespeare’s Fool has been developed and lengthened slightly since I first saw it during the Edinburgh Fringe a couple of years ago. The additional material is subtle and the main body of the play appears to have remained the same, well as far as I could tell anyway.

Cavaliero William Kempe has fallen into difficult times. From the success of his younger years and touring around the country to a dead-end street act where his health is failing as fast as his career. The passion to perform is still present it’s the quality of the performance that has depleted and become stale.

Kempe tries very hard not to be bitter towards his ex-friend and colleague William Shakespeare. However, this doesn’t necessarily come across that way as we find him destitute, down on his luck and living in squalor on the streets. Who could blame him for feeling that way too? Shakespeare’s treatment of other people is documented in the play as an arrogant playwright who would use anyone to further his career.

In Shakespeare Fool we learn more about the man behind the jester outfit. His audience of one, a mouse alongside his trusty marrote who appears to hold a very good conversation and frequently brings Kempe back down to earth with a few verbatim facts about his earlier years.

For more information about this play and future productions at The Studio, New Wimbledon Theatre please use the link below.

Five Stars.

https://www.tortivetheatre.com/events-1/shakespeares-fool-london

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/shakespeares-fool/studio-at-new-wimbledon-theatre/