By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
Patrick Page chooses his words very carefully or, perhaps, it should be said he chooses Shakespeare’s words carefully. In All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain (now extended through February 25 at the DR2 Theatre in the West Village), the gifted and respected actor unveils a thoroughly entertaining and thoughtful analysis into some of the Bard’s most famous dark and foreboding characters with deft and deliberation.
The Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winning actor, takes his small audience on a journey of immense proportions, selecting specific passages first published in the celebrated First Folio as illustrations of the master’s divine gift of perceiving villainy and presenting the darker side of human nature.
Skillfully crafted with intricate choreography, his deeply personal viewpoints into Shakespearean villains is presented with minimal lighting and with but a few props.
But make no mistake it. This is a masterclass in Shakespeare that will make both the uninitiated and longtime devotees of England’s most famous playwright and poet revel in the purity and luminous aura of his original stage interpretations.
Directed by Simon Godwin, the artistic director of The Shakespeare Theatre Company with whom Page had a recent critically successful production of King Lear, this is a not-to-be-missed show that will resonate with its audience members for some time to come.
In fact, it seems Page is not readily able to release the audience from his spellbinding performance and, while it is not guaranteed, he has insisted on taking part in a question and answer period after each show to give further insight into Shakespearean villainy and for the audience members to make personal inquiries into the characters or to explain what he feels was Shakespeare’s intent.
Created as an act of passion, this performance is accented with beautiful undercurrents of sound designed by Darron L. West and remarkably simple, yet effective lighting by Stacey Derosier. The set design by Arnulfo Maldonado is austere, but perfectly complements Page’s direct and compelling performance.
Page’s performance as the despicable Shylock in The Merchant of Venice carries with it a certain aspect of vulnerability and uncertainty that is at the heart of the bargain he makes for his pound of flesh as he lashes out at those who dehumanize him. It would not be human were we not to have some measure of compassion for him.
His Prospero from The Tempest is a powerful figure who dominates the stage, while his consideration of “the Scottish play” includes the so-called curse and the measures actors will take to ward off its effects inside or outside a theater should the proper name of the play be uttered. There is sincerity in his explanation, but the twinkle in his eyes would suggest that it is all a part of a theatre myth that even he is not willing to challenge.
With Richard III, Page says, Shakespeare began his study of the darker side of human nature, which eventually led to the creation of other characters like Shylock, Claudius in Hamlet, Angelo in Measure for Measure and Malvolio in As You Like It. But the character he believes is the biggest Shakespearean sociopath and, indeed, fits all the clinical definitions of modern psychiatry that would qualify him as such, is Iago from Othello.
It all seems so simple when Page renders his exposition of Iago’s character and how he manipulates his master and falsely implicates Dedemona, leading to Othello’s demise. Yes, how could Iago be mistaken for anything else than a sociopath?
Indeed, if we glean anything from Page’s sterling performance it is that Shakespeare did invent the villain. The word invent may seem strong, but it is accurate. Prior to the publication of his works, there were morality plays of a religious basis, but there was no depth of character nor an understanding of the dark side of human nature until Shakespeare created them.
And what Shakespeare created, Page recreates with an astounding original solo performance that is both laudable and worthy of the highest esteem.
Directed by Simon Godwin, Patrick Page stars in All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain (80 minutes with no intermission) at the DR2 Theatre (Off-Off-Broadway), 103 E. 14th Street in New York City, through February 25. Tickets are available here or by calling 212-375-1110.
