EDFRINGE REVIEW: MUSE: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical (Muse)

MUSE: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical – ★★★★☆ – Ambitious

Muse
5-30 Aug
Review by Rebecca Mahar
 
MUSE: The Shakespeare Mayhem Musical from emerging music artist Hanna Andréa is a high energy, hallucinogenic dive into the mind and characters of struggling writer Shakespeare, who in his quest to choose only a single play for his would-be publishers to put to print, must face his creations and hear what they have to say about it— and him. 

 
The basic premise (meeting your own characters in a dreamworld aside) is entirely ahistorical. Shakespeare did not write for publication, and nor did the publishing industry or author-ownership exist during his life in forms that would be recognisable to today’s industry. The order in which Shakespeare’s plays were first published is entirely ignored, and an apparent reference to the posthumous collection that would come to be known as the First Folio ignores that there is no evidence that Shakespeare ever intended to pursue or endorse publication of a collected edition of his own works. The early print history of Shakespeare’s works, and the gradual progression from their anonymous publication to the prominent use of his name as a selling point, is a complicated business. MUSE dispenses with reality entirely, and if you can get past that, it’s a great time.

The cast of MUSE. Pic: Russ Rowland. MUSE logo by Manuel Gonzalez Ruis.

The musical opens with Shakespeare settling to work at his desk, observed by his with Anne Hathaway, who sings of how the world just doesn’t understand his work yet, how (as he gets up and moves about among people on the street whom he seems to be convincing to try and buy his plays) he doesn’t need “them,” and how time will prove his genius, “but for now, he writes.” Anne enters the scene to Shakespeare, in the midst of re-writing act two of Hamlet, lamenting about how apparently none of his current work is good enough to publish— but she brings a letter from publisher Folios Unlimited, who have read all of Shakespeare’s plays but are only willing to publish one, and he has to decide by tomorrow which one it will be.
 
Enter Puck, who seems to be able to cross the boundary between Shakespeare’s imagination (or wherever it is his characters live) and the real world, and who makes him drink enchanted wine. Falling into an unconscious stupor, Shakespeare is transported to meet Beatric, Cleopatra, Juliet, King Lear, the Macbeths, and Portia (Merchant of Venice edition), who, alongside Puck, have strong opinions on why each of their plays should be the one that gets published. The rot sets in quickly when it becomes clear that Juliet doesn’t know Romeo’s dead, and when Shakespeare ultimately chooses her play, Puck insists on telling her. This leads to a confrontation not only between Juliet and Shakespeare, but of all his characters wondering why he puts them in such horrible situations.
 
It's a sharp left turn from the raucous attempts at persuasion from, for instance, Lady Macbeth with a powerhouse rock anthem by Eleni Kutay. Beatrice, played with perfect sharpness throughout by Karis Brizendine, pointedly addresses her creator with “there’s always a trap, Shakespeare, thanks for that,” as the instigator of grievances— particularly on behalf of the female characters. And when Juliet does learn the truth, Megan Elizabeth Colton delivers an incredible lament, changing the whole tone of the show with a deep and textured vocal performance unexpected from the character. 
 
The show has its clunky moments, and is somewhat unbalanced in terms of how time spent with each of the characters in focus. Portia (Maya Sta Ana) in particular falls prey to both of these: after her beautiful song about mercy, which leans heavily into the idea of Portia as a beacon of true and pure mercy —a somewhat cringeworthy approach in the face of the reality of the scene from which her famous “quality of mercy” speech comes— she hasn’t much to do.
 
Regardless of how much time they spend in the spotlight, each of the characters is distinct, interesting, and compellingly performed. Maya Rowe shines in her limited stage time as Anne, earnest in her love for and belief in Nate Janis’s self-doubting Shakespeare. Janis himself manages to portray a tortured artist version of Shakespeare without sinking into deep melancholy, remaining sincere and relatable to any other artist who has faced rejection after rejection. 
 
MUSE is full of both snappy humour and emotional resonance, and is an imaginative contribution to the Shakespeare-faces-his-characters genre. With music, lyrics, and an original concept by Andréa, who two years ago began writing MUSE at just seventeen while a student at Interlochen Arts Academy, where the show underwent development, this production demonstrates both passion and potential, with plenty of room to grow and improve, and its current version well worth seeing. 
 
Running time: One hour with no interval
Venue: Cowbarn at Underbelly Bristo Square (Venue 302), Teviot Place EH8 9AG
5-30 August 2026
Time: 3:40pm
Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/muse-the-shakespeare-mayhem-musical