Mark Twain and the Shakespeare Mystery
While writing his autobiography, Mark Twain decided to publish several chapters of it as a separate book, because they pertained to one topic: the controversy over who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays and poems. He called that book Is Shakespeare Dead? I adapted it into a 90-minute one-man show, which I performed for two weeks in 2013 in Big Bear Lake, California. The stage represented Twain’s home library, with a painting over the fireplace that occasionally lit up with slides to illustrate his discussion. Twain was convinced that the actor William Shakespeare couldn’t have been the author of the works attributed to him, and he offers his proof in this funny, angry monologue.
Complete script (PDF)
Copyright © 2013 Robin Field