Justin Hay’s My Own Private Shakespeare is the perfect antidote to an overdose of goofy comedy at the Fringe. It’s directed by Mona Zaidi and written and performed by Hay. The starting point is Hay’s annus horribilis (to quote her late majesty) of 2024 which featured, within two months, the death of his (extremely problematic) father, a messy break up and divorce and a brain tumour. The story moves forwards and backwards in time fleshing out each narrative thread and illustrating/illuminating each narrative twist with a scene from one of Shakespeare’s tragedies. It’s deceptively simple but beautifully constructed and very well performed.

Hay is a proper Shakesperean actor with a track record to prove it. He also teaches Shakespearian acting and it shows. His delivery is as good as anything I’ve heard in Canada, or indeed elsewhere. It’s properly paced (one can’t deliver 16th century English at 21st century colloquial speed) and properly enunciated to give full value to the text but it’s also nuanced. It’s packed with emotional punch in fact. And he has range. He’s equally adept at young; Hamlet in English and French, and old; Lear, male and female; both Macbeths. It’s all impeccable.

It’s visually quite simple. The set is just an ornate chair in the middle of the stage but there’s really rather effective sound design and it’s enough to support a really compelling performance. I didn’t find it comfortable to watch. There are too many things that resonate a bit too personally. But I was rivetted and it will remain long in my memory. If there’s a must see at this year’s Fringe this may be it.

My Own Private Shakespeare runs in the Kevin & Roger Garland Cabaret at Soulpepper until July 12th.