★★★★★
“Shakespeare’s Fool is an economic, classy piece directed robustly by Ben Humphrey and brought to life by a multi-faceted Leetham who embraces the tears of the clown... ”
BroadwayBaby.com
“Leetham is an imperious storyteller... ”
FringeReview.com
(Highly Recommended Show)
★★★★
“Robin Leetham returns Kempe to vivid life...entirely believable and likeable. ”
TheReviewsHub.com
ABOUT THE PLAY
Will 'Cavaliero' Kempe was one of the finest performers of the Elizabethan age. Gentleman player, juggling jester, headmaster of Morris dancers and London's finest clown, until...he fell out with Will 'git face' Shakespeare.
Kempe died alone and poverty stricken, not very far from the original Globe Theatre, of which he was an original shareholder and faded into obscurity. A world away from his former life having supposedly originated some of literature's best-known characters, including Bottom, Dogberry, and Falstaff.
Join Cavaliero Kempe as he gives his final performance to an audience of a mouse and a marrote, and tells us what really happened between him and William Shakespeare. A bittersweet tale, told by an idiot.
The play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021 at theSpaceUK @Symposium Hall and received rave reviews from audience and critics alike.
We are now in the process of booking tour dates for 2021-2022. Please sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know when Shakespeare's Fool will be coming to a theatre near you.
PRODUCTION & CREATIVE TEAM
Writer
T.G. Hofman
Director
Ben Humphrey
Costumer Designer
Hannah Marshall
Marotte Designer
Alice Humphrey
Mouse Wrangler
Susan Brunt
CAST
William 'Cavaliero' Kempe
Robin Leetham
PRODUCTION SUPPORTERS
Susie Arnold
Lauren Armer
Nikki Bigmore
Julia Bridge
Janet Bright
Oliver Brooks
Roger Brunt
The Davidsons
Jon Fraser
Patricia Gale
Andrew Gibbs
Rick Godsall
Heidi Gowthorpe
Shane Grant
Diana Green
Stephen Grindle
Chris Harper
Janet Harvey
Rachel Handforth
Sue Hawkins
Alison Hellings
Pauline Hirst
Fiona Howard
Alice Humphrey
Paul Jennings
Carys Jones
Mary-Anne Keyes
Ellen Lowe
Genevieve Lowe
Harriet Lowe
Mackie
Tim Manning
Kim Martyn Smith
David McCallum
Julie McGill
Kate McKenna
Rhîan McLean
Michael McWilliam
Rita McWilliam
Jo Miller
Katrina Monteith
Jess O'Sullivan
Anne Renshaw
John-Robert Partridge
Quadrax
Beth Raybould
Tom Riddell
Naomi Roberts
Charlie Ryan
Helen Sears
David Skelton
Bev Sykes
Jan Venables
Asha Warren
Mark Warren
Sue Webster
Mike Whitehouse
CAST, CREATIVES AND CREW
REVIEWS
★★★★★ - BroadwayBaby.com
“Shakespeare’s Fool is an economic, classy piece directed robustly by Ben Humphrey and brought to life by a multi-faceted Leetham who embraces the tears of the clown...”
★★★★ - TheReviewsHub.com
“Robin Leetham returns Kempe to vivid life...entirely believable and likeable. ”
★★★★ - The Outlier Scotland
"Captivating and energetic...”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SHOW - FringeReview.com
“Leetham is an imperious storyteller...This is an impressive and enjoyable piece of theatre – a scrupulously researched and imaginatively crafted script brought to life by an actor at the top of his game”
AUDIENCE REVIEWS
Sophie Mander
"Fantastic one man performance!!"
Alex Clarke
"A wonderful show! Kempe's story is told dramatically and very amusingly. If I'd had time I'd love to see it again."
Niamh
"Fabulous show...so well written...beautiful pace and incredible storytelling...had us eating from palm of his hands...highly recommend."
Kathryn
"A highly energetic, entertaining performance from an engaging actor, which held our attention throughout the 75 minute performance. Ben Humphrey’s vision never fails."
Kevin Moss
"Loved it, very engaging. To see or not see is NOT the question.. Go see it, you'll have a good time!"
Jo Lakey
"Funny, engaging and full of pathos, this one man show about the life of Will Kempe is full of historical detail and information about Shakespeare. Told with energy and humour, I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Alison
"Was completely captured by this powerful performance, and learnt a lot from it. Recommended even if you're not a Shakespeare buff."
Caroline Howitt
"Beautifully written; doesn’t flag once in its 75-min run-time, which is particularly impressive in a one-man show. A joy for those who love Renaissance theatre"