Bill Or Bills?

There’s been some debate about whether William Shakespeare, as we think of him, really existed. The flesh-and-blood William Shakespeare lived and breathed, obviously, and was a playwright. But scholars have long argued whether one man could have produced such a varied, almost disparate, body of work. I can see their point. If you’ve read the wispy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you could certainly wonder exactly how the man who penned that could also be responsible for Titus Andronicus, a bleak tale of revenge chock full of rape and drenched in blood. Some theories point to a playwright collective that produced all of the work under Shakespeare’s name. But it’s also entirely possible that there was a singular playwright who was just insanely creative–and possibly more than a little bit disturbed. It’s a mystery that can probably never be definitively resolved, but if you want to dig a little deeper to form an opinion, you can always ask the legendary playwright yourself. And by that, I mean pepper a Shakespeare look-a-like with questions about his namesake’s singularity when he makes an appearance at Grapevine’s British Emporium, 140 North Main St., from noon until 3 p.m. Saturday. Actor and historian Robert Clover-Brown will present “Shakespeare’s Dramatic and Dynamic London” with lots of historical tidbits about life in Elizabethan London in two parts, with a tea break in between (naturally). The event is free and open to the public. Visit british-emporium.com for more details.

Sat., April 24, 12-3 p.m., 2010