African-American Shakespeare Company Presents THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)
Fast, funny and physical are the watchwords for this sharp, agile and hilarious take on the works of the Bard featuring 3 actors performing 75 characters from 37 plays.
By: A.A. Cristi
Originally scheduled for the company's 2020 Season, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged is a sharp, agile and hilariously take on the works of the Bard, all of which find their way onto the stage at one moment or another. So, yes, 75 characters from 37 plays, performed by 3 actors in approximately 97 minutes.
Created by the team of Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, aka The Reduced Shakespeare Company, The Complete Works made its first appearance in 1981, and premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987, before later settling in for a 9-year run at the Criterion Theatre in London. Reed Martin who will direct this production (as he has others around the world) joined the Reduced Shakespeare Company in 1989, when he took over for Daniel Singer. Described by AASC Artistic Director L Peter Callender as "part Marx Brothers, part Three Stooges, part poetry and part vaudeville," The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) marks the first in-person performances by the company since December of 2019 because of the pandemic. "The original versions of the play were actually born on the Renaissance Faire circuit," says, Director Martin. "It is an irreverent celebration of Shakespeare, one that is fun fast, funny and physical in order to puncture notions of Shakespeare as only a high-culture enterprise. It is all absolutely accurate to the actual plays, but twisted for comic effect!" What: The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)Playwright: Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield
Director: Reed Martin
When & Where: September 19 at Lafayette Art and Wine Festival (outdoors); October 3 at Warriors Thrive City in San Francisco (outdoors); additional date in the South Bay at the Apple Campus TBA
Tickets: Admission is FREE
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