My Own Private Shakespeare
Toronto-based writer-performer Justin Hays brings this stirring story of how he found solace in soliloquies after suffering personal upheaval (death, divorce, health scare) home, after years of touring it to foreign festivals. It's very polished—he knows his craft.
Justin Hay's show was spectacular. His use and acting of Shakespeare turned his moving story-telling into a masterpiece. If you already love Shakespeare, you'll love this show; if you don't love Shakespeare now, you will. The abundant gentle humour and the absence of blame or self-pity as he describes a painful journey was inspiring and made him, for me, a hero. A must-see!
I saw this show yesterday afternoon. I had seen Justin Hay on stage before and knew that I was in for something special. From the moment he came on stage and started talking, the audience was mesmerized!!! Justin is an incredible writer and actor, and I must admit that the depth of his performance touched me so much that I found myself in tears by the end of it. What a truly special gift!!! This play is a MUST SEE!!!!! Justin Hay, thank you so much for sharing this with us.
My Own Private Shakespeare is Justin Hay's one man journey through personal tragedy brilliantly illustrated by impeccably performed scenes from Shakespeare tragedies.
See link for full review
Familiar to Toronto Fringe audiences for several contemporary comedies, Justin Hay is also a fine Shakespearean actor. He showcases that beautifully in this poignant solo show about a middle-aged actor who draws on the Bard’s words to help him deal with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: the death of a bullying father, the breakup of a marriage, medical crises.
Click the link above to read Glenn Sumi's full review in the Toronto Star.
My Own Private Shakespeare is raw and uncompromising, yet tender and relatable. Mr. Hay combines humour, pathos, and - you guessed it - Shakespeare. It's a tour de force that's well worth seeing at least twice.
Justin Hay takes his own deeply personal stories and relating them to the characters of the Bard, My Own Private Shakespeare not only shows the staying power of Shakespeare’s characters, but how those stories can manifest in their own ways all around us.
You can read my full review at the link below!
I'm not a huge fan of one-person shows - and honestly didn't know going in that this was one - but this was an interesting structure, flashing back to a series of traumatic events in Justin's life, interspersed with Shakespearean monologues and soliloquies from his acting roles. It started a little slow, but built momentum as it grew darker and his life spiralled deeper out of control, and he was left to confront all these personal tragedies. As much as I wasn't sure off the top, I was hooked by the middle, and fully engaged by the end, as he navigated loss after loss.