"I am Shakespeare"

I love reading plays.  In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to hit the Drama bookshops in NYC in search for new ones to check out.  That's actually where I found my new favorite: "I am Shakespeare".  It was written by Mark Rylance which is the reason I picked it up in the first place.  A few years ago the bestie and I were lucky enough to see Boeing, Boeing in NYC with Mark Rylance and a slew of other fantastic actors.  By the end of the play, my stomach ached from laughing so hard and one of the main reasons was Mark Rylance. 

So my expectations were pretty high when I saw that he'd written a play, and he did not disappoint.  Apparently, it was first performed at the Chichester Theatre festival a few years ago, but it takes a while to make it across the pond (another point in England's column).  It's meant to have audience participation so I'm sure it's even more enjoyable live but it was fairly brilliant to read.  It's centered around the question: Who wrote Shakespeare's works? (A fascinating topic, to me anyway, but that's a whole other post)  Personally, I'm in the camp that good 'ole Will wrote all of his plays but the characters, which include Francis Bacon, Shakespeare himself, among others, make pretty good arguments.  In the end, the question is never solved, just as it is in real life, but the comedy of errors up to that point, is so laugh out loud funny, that you really don't mind.