All The Devils Are Here Off-Broadway Reviews

The show, an earlier version of which was presented online in 2021, is smartly structured and frequently fascinating, as in a scene between Othello — honorable, deep-voiced — and Iago, feigning guilelessness, whom Page gives a lighter tone. His Malvolio, more narcissist than villain, is comic, then moving; his Ariel, not villainous at all, is ethereal and excellent.

Mr. Page is a consummately skilled classical actor—one of the country’s finest, although much of his Shakespearean work has been seen outside New York—and the show, which whips by at 80 minutes, is virtually all highlights. And the speeches and dialogues, chosen with care, never blur together into a generalized portrait of malignity at work in the human heart and mind. Each character, from the quasi-comic Malvolio in “Twelfth Night” to the nihilistic Iago of “Othello,” whom Mr. Page analyzes, convincingly, as a by-the-book psychopath, comes alive before us with different shades of menace, mendacity, vengefulness or spite.

It has been a brisk, and pleasant analysis, but it feels in some ways too slight, rushed, and not investigative enough—like a decorous, beautifully modulated TED talk. Page alludes to the power of playing a villain, and what it has meant to him, and how intense it has been for him at times. But we hear no more of this. How has playing villains, Shakespearean and not, affected him, or changed anything of him? And what of women? Apart from Lady Macbeth’s opening salvo, we hear nothing of Shakespeare’s villainous women—we need more of Lady M, and others like Goneril. What of revelatory text spoken by villains that may be illuminating or complicating that isn’t so well-known? But Page is a charming, consummate raconteur, and this is still an inviting feast—it’s to his credit he leaves us wanting way more.

You don’t have to be a Shakespeare scholar to appreciate Page’s crash course on the history of the villain. He sets the scenes up perfectly and even shares how contemporary TV shows, like Succession and The Simpsons, draw from Shakespeare’s body of work. After the show, I overheard a fellow audience member say she couldn’t wait to bring her class. It’s required watching for anyone interested in Shakespeare, psychology, worldbuilding, and performance. Shakespeare may have invented the villain, but Page sure has perfected it.

If you’re a Shakespeare lover, All the Devils Are Here is a must-see. If you’re someone who appreciates Shakespeare but sometimes doesn’t fully absorb the text or the themes, trust me—this is an absolute must-see. It’s also pretty much made for high school English classes and drama departments—the very definition of edutainment. With any luck, it will be filmed for streaming, as the original 2021 Shakespeare Theatre Co. production was, so kids across the country can watch Page in action. If you’re wondering how to get someone interested in Shakespeare, this, my friends, is it.

Now it's true some people in the audience may have never read some of these works, or seen a version of any kind. Others may find Shakespeare intimidating or confusing. But never fear. Page will help you understand these characters. What is their motivation? What is their mindset? What was going on in Shakespeare's mind? And it's a good bet you'll leave with a curiosity to know more. It goes without saying that if you're a fan of Shakespeare, you're going to love every minute of this. You may even learn a thing or two.

Indeed, the result of “All the Devils Are Here” can be summarized by the reaction of my companion for the evening, a self-admitted non-Shakespeare lover who now wants to see Page flex his acting muscles (and, probably, his actual muscles) in a full production of one of the Bard’s works. I’m not sure I can think of any better compliment – or audience reaction -- than this one.