BWW Review: SHAKESPEARE'S WILL: The Other Anne Hathaway

We know what's coming, but the moment provides a dramatic punch nonetheless. After reading what he leaves to everyone else, she reads aloud his bequest to her: "I give unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture." McKenna registers Anne's shock and disbelief, especially due to the fact that he left the house to his sister, but she also shows that the sorrow does not destroy her. As she has had to do throughout her life, she finds a way to rise above it and move on with her head held high. The final view of McKenna has her standing tall, chin up, looking off to the future.

Shakespeare's Will is a departure from the norm for Merrimack Rep where they primarily produce contemporary plays. However, despite being set in the Elizabethan era, the play had its premiere on February 3, 2005, at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This production originated at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2007, and is co-produced at MRT by Colin Rivers and Marquis Entertainment of Toronto. At this time of year, we usually expect Canada to send us an Alberta clipper with accompanying snow and temperature drops. Instead, they sent another force of nature: Seana McKenna

Photo credit: Meghan Moore (Seana McKenna as Anne Hathaway)