Commonwealth Shakespeare and Suffolk University to Present THE LAST WILL World Premiere, 2/13-24

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Suffolk University present the world premiere of Suffolk University's Distinguished Scholar in Residence Robert Brustein's The Last Will, the final installment of Brustein's trilogy about the life of William Shakespeare. Performance dates are February 13-24, 2013.

The show will play Wednesday and Thursdays at 7pm. Fridays at 8pm. Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm. Sundays at 3pm. Press Opening will be Friday, February 15th followed by a reception at Back Deck, located at 2 West Street, Boston, Mass. Tickets, at $45 on opening and Saturday nights; $40 general; $30 seniors; and $10 students, are available by calling 1-800-440-7654 or online. The Modern Theatre is located at 525 Washington St. in Boston's Theatre District.

The Last Will finds William Shakespeare retired at his country home on Stratford after decades of struggle and success in the city of London. In the last stages of a fatal illness, his deteriorating mind obliterates the distinction between fiction and fact, and the playwright begins acting as a character in his own plays. Richard Burbage, leader of Shakespeare's Acting Company, attempts to persuade him to return to London and to playwriting, as Will wrestles with his suspicions, delusions, family resentment, and final testaments.

This co-production celebrates Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's professional relationships with leaders of the Boston Theatre Community: Suffolk University Theatre Department and The Modern Theatre; Boston Playwrights' Theatre's Kate Snodgrass; and with Actors' Shakespeare Project's Allyn Burrows.

The stellar cast includes:

Allyn Burrows as William Shakespeare, was recently seen in Macbeth (Macbeth) and Twelfth Night (Malvolio-2012 Norton Award, Outstanding Production, Small Theatre) with Actors' Shakespeare Project, where he is also the Artistic Director; Breaking the Code (Alan Turing) with Underground Railway Theatre (2012 IRNE Award for Best Actor, Drama); Shipwrecked (Louis de Rougemont) with Lyric Stage; The Seafarer (Nicky Giblin) with Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Off-Broadway in King Lear, Bug, Killer Joe, Louis Slotin Sonata, Closetland, and The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd.

Brooke Adams as Anne Hathaway, whose stage credits include The Heidi Chronicles on Broadway; Key Exchange at the Orpheum; Split at The Second Stage; The Old Neighborhood with A.R.T.; If Memory Serves with the Pasadena Playhouse; The Philanderer with Yale Rep; The Cherry Orchard with The Atlantic Theatre Co. and most recently Lend Me a Tenor on Broadway with her husband Tony Shalhoub, directed by Stanley Tucci. She produced and starred in Made-Up, directed by Tony Shalhoub and written by her sister Lynne Adams.

Stacy Fischer as Judith Shakespeare, whose recent theatre credits include Hysteria with Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, American Stage Company, and The Nora (Elliot Norton Award for Best Actress), Or with Lyric Stage, and A Christmas Story with New Rep Theatre. Stacy is a founding member of Harbor Stage Company in Wellfleet, MA where she was last seen in Hedda Gabler.

Merritt Janson as Susanna Shakespeare, whose theatre credits include Off-Broadway: House For Sale with Transport Group; Notes From Underground with Theatre for a New Audience. Regional: The Tempest, King Lear, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Othello with Shakespeare & Company; Autumn Sonata, Notes From Underground with Yale Repertory Theatre; Paradise Lost, Britannicus (IRNE Nomination), The Onion Cellar with American Repertory Theater; Great Wall Story with Denver Center Theatre; The Deception, Notes From Underground with La Jolla Playhouse; Eurydice with The Wilma Theatre; The Deception with Theatre de la Jeune Lune; The English Channel with The Vineyard Playhouse.

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