A whole universe (contained inside a Beardmore taxi) parks itself in Elizabethan London. Inside, a troupe of actors begin to stage plays written by a certain Master (who bears an uncanny resemblance to William Shakespeare). Pretty soon, there are queues outside the newly-built Globe theatre. Queen Elizabeth is a fan. . . the other theatre companies in town aren't. Tensions build, fights break out and the future of the new theatre is under threat from several directions. Meanwhile, Lorenzo (who might be the creator of the universe inside the Beardmore taxi) is distracted. You see, he's fallen in love. Part literary alternative history, part absurdist burlesque, part subtle deconstruction of time, place and authorship, Maybe Shakespeare, Maybe Harlequin is a universe-bending carnivalesque, a layered and mesmerising fabulation, a book like no other.
