It's loosely based on the life of Emilia Bassano Lanier,(1569-1645) who is one candidate for Shakespeare's 'Dark Lady'. She was the daughter of a court musician, and spent part of her childhood in the household of the Countess of Kent. By the time she was 18 she had become the mistress of Henry Carey, the 61 year old Lord Chamberlain (Shakespeare at the time had a company of players, the Lord Chamberlain's men, so it is reasonable to assume that they may have met).
A marriage was arranged for her when she became pregnant with Carey's child,(which led to financial problems which seem to have dogged her for the rest of her life) and his death shortly after left her unprotected. Later in life, with the help of a number of well-born female patrons, she published a volume of poetry.
The play imagines her as an early, justifiably angry, feminist, doomed always to be dismissed due to her gender, despite being as (or more) talented than her male counterparts.
It puts her words into the mouths of some of Shakespeare's characters (most notably Emilia in Othello) and her anger at his appropriation of her words, and his publication of verses originally written for her.
Emilia is the narrator of her own story - there are 3 actors playing Emilia at different stages of her life, the eldest of whom also narrates and frequently addressing the audience directly, and perhaps due to its origins at the Globe, there are also frequent incursions into the audience by the cast Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain turn up in the boxes, chatting to punters, for instance.
The cast is entirely made up of women, some of whom, in their roles as amorous or lecherous men are clearly having way too much fun with it!
It's very good, and covers a lot of ground that remains all too pertinent. The run is over now, but if it is revised, or tours, do see it , it's great!
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