Tales of Old 17 – The Theatre Conundrum




Tales of Old show

Summary: by Edward P. McDermott read by Malcolm Grieve Period: Elizabethan England Some of the best theater takes place after the curtains have fallen and the last patron leaves. This weeks historical fiction dares to peak behind the curtain at Blackfriars where young William Shakespeare and company are about to be tossed out on their ears. Closing music: Shakespeare Pie, by Robert Lund of The FuMP In the icy cold of January of 1597, the acting company of Lord Chamberlain’s Men accompanied the grieving widow and her sons to bury James Burbage. My tears were genuine. Many a time he and his wife had invited all the lads to their home for a feeding, and filled us with meat pies until we nearly burst. In a hard world, I had found few kinder people than the Burbage family. I was only a lad, one of the boys that played women’s parts for four pence a day, but I was there. My parents had paid eight pounds to apprentice me to the company, for I wanted nothing more than to be an actor. As I placed my clod of dirt upon the coffin, I remembered my father, still healthy, and wondered how I would feel if it were him in the grave. Then I looked at his sons, Cuthbert and Richard. Where did they find the strength to stand? Tomorrow night, Richard would strut upon the stage, spouting fine words and mimicking all the emotions a man can show, while inside, he must feel as empty as a discarded bottle.