Equivocation
Tickets and Information

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SHOW INFORMATION

Average of 4 stars from 2 ratings.

CURRENTLY CLOSED
Opened Mar 2, 2010
Closed Mar 28, 2010

Playing at
New York City Center - Stage I

Directions & Map

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WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Bill Cain's Equivocation is set in the early 1600's and focuses on what happens when a member of King James' court attempts to commission a play about the Gunpowder Plot, in which plans were laid to blow up Parliament, from Shakespeare.

Equivocation received its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference and TheatreWorks in Palo Alto.

THEATER/VENUE INFORMATION:

New York City Center - Stage I
131 W 55th St
New York, NY 10019

This mainstage at MTC is a 299-seat house with a proscenium stage. Originally a prolific showcase theater, this space has become one of the country's most productive and prestigious theaters. The overall quality of the productions cannot be matched [...] Read More

WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING?

Not even the most sophisticated GPS system could possibly navigate all the twists and turns of Bill Cain's inventive and remarkably clever
Equivocation, which is now getting its New York premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in a gorgeously fluid production helmed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes.

Still, it is perhaps only fitting that a play about William Shakespeare feels as unnecessarily overstuffed as the Bard's later plays, full of too many themes and plot digressions to be easily digested in one sitting. Occasionally, a little less matter and a little more art would be useful here.

The ingenious set-up is that Shakespeare (John Pankow, nicely impassioned if a little charmless) has bee[...]

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Reviewed by Brian Scott Lipton on Mar 3, 2010

What are other members saying?

Dee
This is one of the most engaging, most thought provoking, most lingering plays I have ever seen. It is cleverly written and well acted -- I cannot think of a better way to spend the evening, and will go again before the run is complete.

Reviewed by Darvadee on Wednesday, Feb 24th, 2010

RE:Equivocation
Well maybe 3.5 stars. This is a show with a clever premise and much promise which it somehow fails to deliver fully. The dialogue and the acting by the small very versatile cast is excellent. The spare set effective. But the play seems to lose its way in the multiple flashbacks and changes of character, which even for an ex-Brit with a decent knowledge of the history of the time and of Shakespeares works, quotes from which spatter the dialogue, take some following, especially at the climax. The portrayals of Shakespeare Shagspeare as he is known in the play!!, himself and of Sir Henry Cecil are very good but I felt that the introduction of Shakespeares daughter and his tortured relationship with her detracted from the central theme. I think I would write that out and shorten the play a bit to make its real central impact i.e. Equivocation - more forceful. I didnt NOT enjoy the play, on the contrary good some good periods of dialogue and energetic acting are always enjoyable, but I just did not feel that it did justice to an important, relevant, topical central issue.

Reviewed by MACNBOB on Sunday, Feb 14th, 2010