The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Andrew Shepherd is not only a brilliant piece of theatre, but it will also keep you guessing all the way through. Full of twists and turns, the Shakespeare Conspiracy is original and incredibly intelligent. Triumphant theatre in two wonderful acts.

The play is superbly directed by Jack Bowman, Bowman has created a well oiled machine which never dips or loses its energy. Full of pop culture references and brilliant gags, The Shakespeare Conspiracy is riveting.

A special mention must be given for the impressive and realistic fight scenes. They really are something to behold.

The play focuses around Martin Shakespeare, the last remaining descendent of Shakespeare, who is working as a travel agent in Stratford. Martin gets caught up in a  400 year old conspiracy involving The Royal Shakespeare Company, which far from being a theatre company, is actually a branch of government like MI6, and a prison, The Globe Theatre. It turns out that Shakespeare’s characters are real.

The cast of twenty are all well cast and brilliant at their parts. A special notice should be given to Jack Baldwin and Libby Evans as Benedict and Beatrice. They have amazing chemistry and I could not watch them without thinking of the brilliant film, His Girl Friday. Richard Armah as Garfield Oberon and Lee White as Edmond also deserve a special mention.

Andrew Shepherd as Iago  was also brilliant. Andrew is eloquent with a wonderful stage presence. There is a funny part int he play when Iago blames his mother for making him a villain. ‘You never had a mother Iago, you are fictional’ he is reminded.

This play is intelligent and witty. You can easily follow it if you concentrate, and you should concentrate, so you do not miss even a second of this stunning play. A must see.