Professor Butter Beard’s “Shakespeare and Snickerdoodles”
“Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers.” - William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet,” Act 4, Scene 2.
The theater door that had been locked shut for sixteen months re-opened last evening. The rain clouds cleared as if perfectly on cue. The masquerade ball party lights began to glow in the breezy violet twilight. Cajun-style dance music filled the air. And fourteen actors stepped forward onto an outdoor stage before an eager live audience to share Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” What began as rehearsals in Brady Bunch squares on Zoom bloomed into soulful storytelling that actually brought tears of delight and pride to my eyes. I had to shake my head to remind myself that one of my directorial responsibilities was to run the music cues, but even that didn’t stop my heart from swelling with relief and joy and wonder.
For me, every aspect of William Shakespeare’s journey is artful. But when it comes to identifying his actual likeness, there is still intriguing mystery and controversy. There is no solid evidence (to date) that Shakespeare ever commissioned a portrait, and oddly, there is no written description of his physical appearance. However, academics do believe that portraits of him did circulate during his lifetime because of a reference to one in the anonymous play “Return from Parnassus” (c. 1601), in which a character says, "O sweet Mr. Shakespeare! I'll have his picture in my study at the court."
The three best known portraits of Will (if I may be so bold in friendship) are the Cobbe portrait (1610), the Chandos portrait (early 1600’s) and the Droeshout portrait (1622). The engraving by Martin Droeshout appears as the title page to the collected works of Shakespeare (the First Folio), printed in 1622 and published in 1623. An introductory poem in the First Folio, by Ben Jonson, implies that it is an exceptionally good likeness. The Chandos portrait (so-named due to it once being in the procession of the Duke of Chandos) is attributed to John Taylor and dated to about 1610. In 2006, the National Portrait Gallery in London published a report boldly stating that this is the only painting with any real claim to have been done from life.
In 2009, Stanley Wells and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust announced that they believe the newly discovered Cobbe portrait, which has been in the possession of the Cobbe family since the early 18th century, is a portrait of Shakespeare drawn from life. The portrait is thought to have belonged initially to Shakespeare's patron, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, and to have been copied by another artist who created the painting known as the Janssen portrait, which had already been claimed to accurately depict Shakespeare.
Tarnya Cooper, the 16th-century curator at the National Portrait Gallery, wrote that "every five to 10 years, a 'new' Shakespeare portrait will appear. There are between 50 and 100 images in the National Portrait Gallery stacks that were at one time considered to be him."
She goes on to state, “In all, the costumes are very similar, but that was the fashion. Hundreds of men would have worn doublets like that. And the hair and beard - it's the fashion of the period. One cannot make an argument based on facial resemblance alone." For her, more compelling evidence would include an inscription giving a date, or a coat of arms, accompanied with a firmer provenance (the history of ownership). For me, I don’t mind not having a photographic image. It is Shakespeare’s soul that tells me stories at night and reminds me what it is to be human.
It is a tradition and meditation of mine to bake cookies before each performance I direct. It clears my head and allows me to experience each evening as a new journey with the actors and the audience. Last night, we gave the audience Rosemary Shortbreads as they arrived. Tonight, it will be Snickerdoodles with a snap of citrus. I imagine Shakespeare, sitting with his quill before the fire, chuckling at the word “snickerdoodles” and toying with which of his characters would say it best.
Snickerdoodles with a Citrus Snap
5-6 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
12 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups white granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla paste
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp kosher salt (I use my citrus kosher salt)
Freshly ground nutmeg to taste (up to 1 full tsp)
Zest of one orange and one lemon
Cinnamon/Sugar Mix: ¾ cup granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon whisked together
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) In a standing mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar
3) Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, nutmeg and citrus zest
4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the cinnamon/sugar mix.
5) With the mixer running, add in the vanilla and then the eggs (one at a time)
6) Add the flour mixture and gently mix until evenly combined.
7) Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mix.
8) Place them, one dozen at a time, on parchment lined trays and bake for 10-11 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.
9) Let the cookies sit on the pan for five minutes, then remove them cool completely on wire racks.
Opening night of “Much Ado About Nothing,” photographed by Dave Stefanic
