“Gender Play, or What You Will” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

[rating=5]In a forceful and captivating performance, Will Wilhelm plays the part of themself in the ambitious, highly spirited one-person show “Gender Play, or what you Will.” Funny, poignant, and original, the story is largely a reflection on what means to be an actor, what it means to be trans, and what it means to be both at the same time! This is a tale of two Wills: namely, Wilhelm as the character Will and their treasured idol, the noted bard William Shakespeare. Initially, the script, co-created by Wilhelm and director Erin Murray, resembles a highly entertaining series of monologues in the vein of a college lecture. The subject has to do with the queerness inherent within Shakespeare’s writings. But the talk quickly morphs into a precious gem: revealing a deep-seated part of Will’s personality, having to do with the influence of Shakespeare on their life. When Shakespeare’s life and works are filtered through Will, we see them from a different angle. Will reveals a highly personalized view of these masterpieces of literature, complete with passion and emotion in addition to intellect. This intimate account is suffused with dynamic energy, such that Will literally summons up the spirit of Shakespeare while addressing all of us in the audience. In so doing, we experience the actor’s unique worldview first-hand, which strikes a chord within our soul and never misses a beat.

Many of us may have already known that in the Elizabethan era, it was considered improper and undignified for women to perform on stage. Therefore, men played all the characters, meaning all of the women too. Back then, the actor’s body was considered gender neutral, such that the actors become gender fluid when they played all sorts of roles. Will takes this experience and brings it forward into the present-day and tells us that by incorporating both feminine and masculine dimensions into the characters whom they play, an actor is given a lot more freedom than when being confined to strict roles as men or women. At the same time, an actor can discover who they may be—and who they may love—by means of the exercise of their craft, that is, through the playing of many different roles, thus raising issues of identity and chameleon-like “gender transfer.”

Moreover, “Gender Play or what you Will” is a story about how life reveals itself through the fusion of opposites (or seeming opposites), such as life and death, spirit and corporealness, and creator and creation. All these things that normally would appear to be separate and different blend together as if by osmosis. This is depicted in the material world (so to speak) by the two modern doublets that Will wears and their “gender reveal.” Speaking of revealing, red velvet cloths over mannikins and items of furniture are uncovered throughout the show to illustrate how the various dimensions of one’s personality can gradually be uncovered over time. Also divulged is the knowledge that Shakespeare once had a special romance for a man named Henry and wrote many sonnets to him.

Will tells us that Shakespeare used tarot cards as archetypes and an inspiration for his characters, and today we can gain insight into ourselves by having a tarot card reading. The person for whom the reading is done is called the querant, in that they are supposed to ask a question before their cards are turned face up. Will makes the connection between the word querant and the word queer, both of which—according to them—have to do with keeping one’s mind open. In fact, before walking into the theatre, we are each asked to pick out a tarot card “that speaks to us”; and later on, an actual reading takes place with one of the members of the audience. There is an intermission (which is supposed to be five minutes, but is actually fifteen minutes) when we can dance (and reveal our authentic selves at the moment) or we can exit and buy a drink and bring it back into the theatre.

Scenic designer Steven Abbott together with properties designer Lonnae Hickman have done a marvelous job configuring the space and the various types and number of props. This works well for a one-person show—where items are not too cluttered on stage and the first row of the audience is meant to recreate the type of parlor where a séance might be held. In keeping with the séance mood, the original music and sound design by Tropiteca, Natalie Murillo, and Jacquelyn Carmen Guerrero brings to mind Spiritism and Santeria, with Hispanic themes that hint at otherworldliness. Text coach Kathryn Walsh should be recognized for imparting the Elizabethan English cadence and inflection to Will’s monologues. Costume designer Uriel Gomez has done a fine job creating Will’s one-of-a-kind outfit. The lighting is particularly notable, especially the scenes featuring the multitude of stars in the background; all thanks to the work of Gabrielle Strong. The stars got me thinking of the importance of human agency in how we choose to live our lives, in keeping with the famous Shakespearean line “The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves.”

The story establishes that you have the right to be what you want to be in league with your will and your destiny. You can’t live someone else’s idea or vision of your life, no matter how much you may want to conform to their expectations and desires or how much other people may want you to conform. The bottom line is that you have to lead your own life, but doing so means acquiring insight, self-knowledge, and an awareness of your unique creative potential. With Shakespeare being the guiding star, any person can go about exploring their inner self to find purpose and meaning. They can examine what the stars hold for them (or not) and discover what makes them one-of-a-kind in the universe. They can find and explore (non-gendered) love. They can discover which career path might be best suited to their personality. They can forge their own future direction. Thus, it is no coincidence that the word “will” is synonymous with power, driving force, and the desire to make change.

This enlightening show may change your viewpoint on the role of gender in combination with being a performing artist. It is new, different, and funny—and very perceptive. It is a tour de force and a must see!

About Face Theatre’s “Gender Play, or what you Will” is playing through June 3, 2023, at the Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Avenue, in Chicago.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can, ranging from $5 to $35, plus a $1.00 facility fee per ticket and an additional convenience fee, ranging from $2 to $5.75, depending on the pricing tier of the ticket.

“The full price of a ticket is $35. If you’re able to support us at that level, we greatly appreciate it. If a $25, $15, or $5 ticket is right for you, please take advantage of that price. We want you in the audience! Please note, there are limited quantities available at each level.”

Performance schedule:

Thursdays and Fridays– 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays – 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. No 3:00 performance on Saturday, May 27th
Sundays – 3:00 p.m.

Additional performances: Monday, May 22nd and Wednesday, May 31st. Both at 8:00 p.m.

Open Captioning Dates and Times:
Thu, May 18 @ 8pm
Sat, May 20 @ 3pm
Sun, May 21 @ 3pm
Thu, May 25 @ 8pm
Sun, May 28 @ 3pm
Thu, June 1 @ 8pm
Sat, June 3 @ 3pm

To purchase tickets, visit the Den box office, at 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue, or online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35386/production/1156519.

For more information about this show and others, go to: https://aboutfacetheatre.com/shows-events/.

“About Face Theatre is no longer requiring masking for audiences at our performances. We support any individual’s choice to mask and will continue to make quality masks available upon request. If you are not feeling well, are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, or have had or been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 10 days, you should not attend a show. If you are unable to attend a performance due to these reasons, please contact The Den box office to discuss rescheduling.”

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Gender Play or What You Will”.