8/17/09 11:48 AMShakespeare's Anti-Christian Satires: The Virgin Mary ParodiesPage 1 of 3http://newsblaze.com/story/20090817070705jnyc.nb/topstory.html

Published: August 17,2009

In the "Hamlet" portion, the lightfromtheeyesof Hamlet/Heliosmakes Opheliaconceivelike the Virgin Mary. L: AnnaWood; R: AlexandraCohen- Spiegler. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.Amelia Bassanio Lanyer. CourtesyVictoria & Albert Museum, London.

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Shakespeare's Anti-Christian Satires:The Virgin Mary Parodies

by Jonathan Slaff On September 5 and 12, 2009 The Dark Lady Players(www.darkladyplayers.com) will perform "Shakespeare'sAnti-Christian satires: The Virgin Mary Parodies," extractsfrom their Shakespeare Miscellany that illustrate newlydiscovered satir es in the characters of Ophelia, Desdemonaand Juliet.The discoveries are revealed in revolutionary newdramaturgy by John Hudson, an English Shakespearean researcher, thatpresents a16th century Marrano/ConversoJewish woman as the real author of Shakespeare's playsand sonnets. Amelia Bassano Lanier (1569-1645), the socalled Dark Ladywho was the first woman in England tohave a book of her poetry printed ("Salve Deus RexJudaeorum," 1611), has been previously known to scholars only as a poetand early feminist critic of the Christiangospel and thelong term mistress to the man in charge of the English theater. New research by Mr. Hudson, conducted at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham and documented in his 800 page biography "The Dark Lady,"presentsher as the author of Shakespeare's poems and plays, which are also shown to contain allegorical anti-Christian satires. Thisproduction, guided by this new dramaturgy, is made up entirely of Amelia/Shakespeare's purportedspoofs of the Virgin Mary.The Amelia Bassano Theory is gaining ground fast in Shakespearecircles. The Canadian literary journal The Queen's Quarterly, in an 11page review in summer 2008 titled "Rethinking Shakespeare,"concluded that "the case for Amelia Bassano Lanier is as plausible asShakespeare's and more plausible than many others." The peer-reviewed Shakespearean authorship journal, The Oxfordian, edited byDr. Michael Egan, is issuing a special issue in October, 2009 on themain Shakespearean authorship candidates, including a 5,000 wordarticle on this new candidate. Indicating the growing interest in thislatest Shakespearean discovery, Eastern Connecticut State Universityin Willimantic, CT will have Mr. Hudson give the University Lecture onthis subject on November 11, 2009 at 3:00 pm. Professor KellyMorgan, the founder of the Mint Theater and a regional chair of the Kennedy Center American CollegeTheater Festival, says these insights "open new and breathtaking performance avenues for professionalcompanies and a multitude of possibilities for academic researchers" and is collaborating with Mr.Hudson on an allegorical production of "Twelfth Night" next year at Fitchburg State College, MA.The Dark Lady Players has previously staged demonstrations of Jewish allegories in "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "As You Like It," but the Virgin Mary allegories in "Othello," "Hamlet" and "Romeoand Juliet", are being acted live for the first time.Before the first staging, on September 5 at 2:15 pm, the company will precede its performance with anoutdoor event, "The Virgin Mary Mystery Play Procession," based on the York Mystery Plays, starting atthe southern end of Washington Square near the chess boards and leading the audience to ManhattanTheater Source, where "Shakespeare's Anti-Christian satires: The Virgin Mary Parodies" will beunveiled.Dramaturg John Hudson, author of the theory, is a strategic

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8/17/09 11:48 AMShakespeare's Anti-Christian Satires: The Virgin Mary ParodiesPage 2 of 3http://newsblaze.com/story/20090817070705jnyc.nb/topstory.html

John Hudson. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.VISIBLE SYMBOLS -- Hamlet's letter to Opheliareveals her to be an allegorical Virgin Mary. L: AnnaWood; R: Alexandra Cohen-Spiegler. Photo by EllenRolfes.

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consultant who specializes in new industry models andinnovation. He has degrees in Theater and Shakespeare, inManagement, and in Social Science. He recently wrote in theClyde Fitch Report, "This work will thus raise a profoundquestion: Why would a recusant Catholic like the Man fromStratford write such shocking anti-Christian parodies? Surelytheir existence is one more indication--like the comic parody of the crucifixion in A Midsummer Night's Dream--that the playsmay have been written by someone else, a someone who iscertainly not a Christian. In Elizabethan England, that narrowsthe field down considerably." (http://www.clydefitchreport.com/?p=2324)The Dark Lady Players have staged the underlying allegoriesusing meta-theatrical devices. Their aesthetic is drawn partlyfrom Gordon Craig's early 20th century concept of the actor asthe "uber-marionette," but more significantly from the Elizabethan theater of the early 1590s, when thefirst Shakespearean plays were being written. This includes using actors sort of like human puppets.Visible symbols are used to literally enact hidden literaryreferences. In the current production Hamlet, played byAlexandra Cohen-Spiegler, wears a large sun-hat with raysof colored paper coming out of his head to indicate that herepresents Helios, since his father is described asHyperion. Ophelia, played by Mimi Hirt, is heavilycostumed in blue and white cloth to represent the VirginMary. When she receives Hamlet's letter, she is evenphysically labeled as Mary by having the attributes of her name listed on Hamlet's letter. This is similar to the waythat Elizabethan actors might wear a physical label ("'thisis a dog' or 'this is a hare'" -- Ben Jonson) to make their identities known to those who were not sufficiently sharp or learned to work it out from other clues. In Romeo andJuliet, the Nurse (played by Megan McGrath), who is named Angelica (after the root of the Holy Ghost),has little wings to show that she is allegorically the angel of the Annunciation, which is why she refers toSusan (from Susannah, the Hebrew word for lily,the symbol of the Annunciation). This indicates thenature of the getting mary-ed that she wants to impose upon Juliet, and explains why part of the Nurse'sscene is based on an apocryphal account of the Virgin Mary in the Temple.This performance is offered as a "proof of concept" demonstration. It is directed by Jenny Greeman, whois the resident director of the Dark Lady Players. The cast includes Alexandra Cohen-Spiegler, AnnaWood, Mimi Hirt, Megan McGrath and Riah Werner.Using scribd.com, a variety of presentations of Hudson's research can now be accessed online, whichshould be good news to directors of Shakespeare, dramaturgs and just about everyone interested in themost recent thinking on these questions. To look them up, search online for "Amelia Bassano Lanier: ANew Paradigm for the Shakespearean Authorship" and a variety of Hudson's other writings, includingtreatises on "As You Like It" and "Midsummer Night's Dream."Comment on this story, by emailcomment@newsblaze.comClick here to get NewsBlaze News in your email

Tags: Shakespeare, John Hudson, Amelia Bassano Lanier

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