SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Portrait of a young, randy ‘Will’

SERIES built around legendary figures such as physicist Albert Einstein (“Genius”), monarch Queen Elizabeth II (“The

Crown”) and Hollywood star Bette Davis (“Feud”) have made for a memorable and diverse television season.

Joining them next week (July 10) is a more enigmatic figure whose importance is still felt 400 years after his first plays were performed: William Shakespeare. His early career as a fledgling playwright is the centerpiece of the lively, bawdy new series “Will.”

British actor Laurie Davidson has the good fortune (and burden) of playing the lead role. Davidson appeared in “The Winter’s Tale” and “Much Ado About Nothing” while studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

“They used a lot of Shakespearean texts when we were learning to approach classical verse and sonnets,” Davidson tells The Post. “I was well-versed in his language. It wasn’t alien to me.”

Faced with the daunting task of playing someone whose private life was not well-documented, the actor takes some comfort in that he is the same age — 25 — as Shakespeare was when he set his sights on a career in London. “Not that I’m saying I’m a genius,” Davidson says with a laugh. “He’s at the beginning of his career and entering a world he has already heard so much about and trying to compete in it. I’m entering the world of film and television.”

In “Will,” Shakespeare arrives in London in 1592, two years after the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen Elizabeth I is on the throne. The series’ portrayal of theater life would be unrecognizable to today’s arts patrons who fork over hundreds of dollars to see the hottest show in town. Ribald displays are commonplace on stage and in the audience — and the audience heckles the actors when the play isn’t up to snuff. Davidson chalks up the unruly atmosphere to the absence of anyone being in charge. “There wasn’t really a director,” he says. “You wrote for the actors and the company of actors did [the play] themselves.”

Thrust into this chaotic environment, Will lives by his wits, observing real-life figures such as playwright Christopher Marlowe (Jamie Campbell Bower), studly actor Richard Burbage (Mattias Inwood) and reigning divo Will Kemp (William Houston) — while aligning himself with the flirtatious Alice Burbage (Olivia DeJonge), who is something of an invention.

“Richard had a sister and [his father] James had a daughter, but unfortunately one of things true at the time was that unless you were royalty, women were not written about in the history books,” says Davidson, who is single and lives in South London.

One historical fact that is included in “Will” is the widespread discrimination against Catholics. Shakespeare, whose mother, Mary Arden, was Catholic, receives a hostile reception in largely Protestant London. “It was dangerous,” Davidson says. “He could still be persecuted.”

His faith puts him in a tricky position when Will spurns Alice’s romantic moves, telling her about the wife and three children at home. “Adultery is a sin. He’s been a father and a husband since he was 18 years old,” Davidson says. “He comes to London with no intentions of being unfaithful. He realizes he’s been suppressing his artistry. He never realized what love is. Alice Burbage completely changes his idea of a connection with a woman. He’s found not only a soulmate in a romantic sense but a kindred spirit on a professional level.”

Refusing to let the truth interfere with a potentially good story, “Will” also sees the young playwright inventing the character of Falstaff not long after his arrival. Will the audience see the Shakespeare who created “Hamlet” or “King Lear”?

“You may or may not see one of the big tragedies,” Davidson says.