Actor and dancer Robbie Fairchild is set to premiere a new dance theater work that explores the identity of the "lovely boy" addressed in Shakespeare’s sonnets and the influence of this figure on the playwright’s works. The project, titled “Lord Chamberlain’s Men,” will debut as a 30-minute preview on Thursday and Friday during the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center.
Fairchild, known for his diverse career spanning Broadway, film, and television, as well as his early years with the New York City Ballet, conceived the piece around a theory that the “lovely boy” was an actor in Shakespeare’s troupe, channeling the complexities of forbidden love into works like “Romeo and Juliet.” The idea blossomed from conversations with figures such as director Nicholas Hytner and literary scholar Will Tosh, author of “Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare.”
The genesis of the project was unconventional. Fairchild recounted learning Shakespearean sonnets from Judi Dench while filming the 2019 adaptation of “Cats.” This sparked his curiosity about the sonnets’ mysterious addressee and led him to develop his own interpretation of Shakespeare’s emotional landscape. “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” is the first project Fairchild has undertaken as a director-choreographer-star, blending his experiences as a dancer with his personal narrative.
Fairchild’s background informs much of the work’s emotional depth. He joined the New York City Ballet at 18 and was cast as Romeo in a contemporary production during his early career. Having come out as gay during ballet school before undergoing conversion therapy, Fairchild later resumed living openly as a gay man in his 30s. He describes the creative process behind “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” as one of self-acceptance, with mentorship from former ballerina Heather Watts playing a crucial role.
The project also addresses historical context. It reflects on the Buggery Act of 1533, which criminalized sodomy in England, and the gender restrictions of the early modern stage, where women were not permitted to act publicly, and men in female roles could safely enact same-sex attraction. Fairchild explained, “The only time a man could safely share a spark with another man in public was onstage.”
“Lord Chamberlain’s Men” incorporates dance and spoken word set to a score featuring music by Tchaikovsky, himself a gay composer. The narrative includes a duet between Fairchild and Vincenzo Di Primo, who portrays the boy actor, showcasing intimate and emotive choreography, as well as interactions with Lauren Lovette, who plays Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. This element emphasizes the complex personal and public lives that shaped Shakespeare’s work.
The production has benefitted from collaboration with prominent figures such as playwright Rick Elice and choreographer Sonya Tayeh, along with guidance from Christopher Wheeldon, a leading choreographer-director in ballet and Broadway. City Center’s artistic director for dance, Stanford Makishi, acknowledged the project as a calculated risk given Fairchild’s debut as a choreographer but praised his meticulous approach to storytelling through movement.
While the true identity of the “lovely boy” remains speculative and unproven—often described as “a parlor game with no hope of any proof”—Fairchild’s interpretation offers a “plausible reality” that enriches contemporary understanding of Shakespeare’s work and the historical constraints on queer expression. Through “Lord Chamberlain’s Men,” Fairchild aims to communicate openly about themes of love and identity that resonate both historically and personally.