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Blood, Lust, and Poetry explores the fascinating theatre world of London, 1599. It begins backstage at the opening
of the Globe Theatre, where the Lord Chamberlain's men are just finishing up a stunning revival of their old war-horse of
a play, Richard III. Here we meet the immortal Richard Burbage, along with John Heminges, Henry Condell, Thomas Pope,
Augustine Phillips, and other actors, famed in their day, now footnotes in history. Into this world burst two Elizabethan
gentlemen, both theatre fanatics, on a quest to meet the man they consider to be the greatest playwright of their day, probably
the greatest ever: Ben Jonson.
As our two heros practically stumble over a poet named William Shakespeare, we follow them to the Mermaid Tavern. There,
re-united with Burbage, an impromptu performance by the great actor forces them to reconsider their dogmatic zeal for Jonson.
One of them persists in his hero-worship, while the other is opened up to the world of Shakespeare, and the raw power of
"death, sex, and iambic pentameter."
The play reaches its peak of insanity in the second act, with a fateful meeting in the upper room of the Boar's Head Tavern.
There, all the zany characters met along the way come together. Not just poetry, but friendships and lives, are tested.
Some are found worthy, and others wanting....
Blood, Lust, and Poetry requires three sets and a cast of 13. It is a fast-paced farce that never lets the audience
stop thinking, or stop feeling.
2 women
11 men
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