The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

Synopsis

All 37 plays in 120 minutes. The sixteen comedies are reduced to a single section and the histories are played as a ball game. For all those who hate Shakespeare here is a rapid run through the lot - for those that love him, well, indulge yourselves in this delightful evening!

Our Review:

1 November 1997

The Reduced Shakespeare Company's production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged relies on the age old theory that there's nothing more amusing than a tragedy executed badly. As it is, the company enacts ‘badly so brilliantly that the audience are left running for the toilets, lest they have an accident.

The genius of the play lies in the close relationship between the three players, who maintain a tight ship, whilst still appearing as if they re performing a school play.

The physical exertions demanded by presenting Shakespeare's complete works, what with ten second costume and sex changes every thirty seconds (or so it seemed), is often the cause of amusement. Although most of the irreverent mistakes made by the actors are probably scripted, they prove all the more entertai...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.167) - 29 December 2003:

I laughed twice - is this collection of juvenile jokes what passes for wit these days? It's a frightening reflection on the dumbing-down of British culture that a show like this, which reminded me of the end-of-term shows we used to do at school, can run for years......

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