Double Falsehood

There have been volumes of discourse pondering the authorship of this play, first presented by 18th-century impresario Lewis Theobald as his adaptation of a long-lost work called "Cardenio," supposedly penned by John Fletcher and one William Shakespeare. Though it was dismissed in its time as a forgery, scholars for British publisher Arden Shakespeare now believe the master wrote large parts of it.

As fascinating as the play's mysterious origins might be, the plot and virtually all the characters appear lifted from every universally recognizable work in Shakespeare's canon, and although the fluidity of the iambic pentameter certainly suggests the style and poetry of ol' Will, it feels as though only about a fourth of the text might have been written by the Bard.

What works is the unbridled enthusiasm of director Kirsten Kuiken's exceptionally gifted cast and her designers' daringly nontraditional choices. Clothed in Erik McEwen's 1950s thrift store finery on a nearly empty stage, accentuated by Joe Calarco's intentionally scratchy, highly effective sound design that moves from Gershwin to Robert Johnson to Ella Fitzgerald, this unstoppable young company seems so confident it's infectious. If anything should be discarded from the production, it's the many filmic blackouts that jarringly interrupt the flow of the tale, when the soundtrack and Michelle Stann's lighting alone would not only suffice but complement Kuiken's otherwise inventive staging. 

Whether Shakespeare had a hand in the writing will continue to be a mystery, but there's one clue to consider as this eager band of talented artists and designers manage to breathe such imaginative life into its stereotypical themes and characters: If indeed part of this manuscript came from Shakespeare, why do no memorable lines stand out, ready to join the many familiar quotations lifted from his other works, all those famous passages insightful enough to survive the centuries? Perhaps ol' Will highlighted the best in some time-traveling computer, cutting and pasting them into his other, better plays. Yes, indeed. That must be the answer.

Presented by Coeurage Theatre Company at Actors Circle Theatre, 7313 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Oct. 1-Nov. 6. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. (Sun., Nov. 6, 8 p.m.) www.coeurage.org.