fossen's review against another edition
4.0
This is strong and interesting, and I would live to see it staged. However while it hints at more, it never surpasses biography. It nibbles around the edges of the modern intelligence state, but never lets itself fly free from the historical detail.
catdad77a45's review
4.0
The problem with historical plays like this one (although this is more an allegorical one, since Lustgarten apparently plays fast & loose with the facts and, according to his preface, was more interested in pointing out how the contemporary rise of surveillance owes a debt to the Elizabethans than to any historical truths) is that either one must provide too much exposition for those (like me) with only a rudimentary knowledge of those facts, or curtail such, so as not to bore the cognoscenti. Therefore, particularly n the first half, I had a struggle to keep everyone straight and figure out just what was going on. Albeit that deficiency, Lustgarten writes pungent dialogue, and there are quite a few laughs to be found amidst the intrigue. And I would bet this plays much better than it reads.
More...