So Much More the Man

Philip is an English teacher in Worcester, nearing retirement. Feeling melancholy, as another academic year approaches, he looks back with sadness at his life because, although happy and successful, it has been unremarkable. He compares himself to the characters in the literature he has taught and wishes his life had been more exciting. In this mood, he encounters Jane – a lost love from 40 years ago who dropped him abruptly after they played Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in an outdoor production in Jersey in 1977. With Jane suddenly back in his life, Philip struggles with new temptations and powerful memories. 


Forty years ago, Jane’s power over Philip reflected that of Lady Macbeth’s power over Macbeth, and in 2018 she seems to exert a similar influence. She persuades him to visit her in London, and Philip troubled though he is by being dishonest to his wife, can’t resist the temptation. Over lunch with Jane and her daughter, Annie, Jane drops the bombshell that Philip was Annie’s father. Jane, wielding her power, incites conflict between her husband and Philip who starts to believe he is Macbeth again. Relishing playing such a dramatic role, he is becoming the tragic hero from literature he has wanted to be, rather than the man who has lived an ordinary, unexceptional life. But will it all end in a terrible tragedy?    


Stephan Le Marchand grew up in Jersey. He has a BA in English and Theatre Studies from The University of Warwick, and an MA in Shakespeare and Theatre from The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham. After graduating he spent two years at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and then two years as a professional actor. But the lure of teaching English at the King’s School, Worcester was irresistible and meant that he happily gave up the possibility of acquiring immense wealth and fame as an actor. He lives in Worcester.