Due to sell out success, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) has had its run extended by a further three months. This acclaimed production will have been running for over 30 weeks when it finally reaches the end of this strictly limited run, having received a raft of excellent reviews and award nominations.
In a brand new version by Red Lion Theatres, this staging features all 37 Shakespeare plays in just 110 minutes, complete with Titus Andronicus reimagined as Gordon Ramsey's The F Word, all of the history plays as a Rugby match, and the world's shortest performance of Hamlet, at just 43 seconds long.
The original Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, went on to become the longest running comedy in the West End and continues to tour internationally. The company has since created seven stage shows including The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), All The Great Books (abridged) and most recently The Complete World of Sports (abridged).
Director Henry Filloux-Bennett became artistic director of the Old Red Lion Theatre in July 2010. In 2008 he founded Lenez Productions, for which productions include The Ukulele Project (Edinburgh Fringe); Madagascar (Theatre503); Artist Descending A Staircase; the 25th Anniversary Production of Stepping Out (UK Number 1 Tour) and Well (Trafalgar Studios and West End). As a writer and director, Henry's first play, Wasted, was produced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, and most recently he adapted Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall for the Old Red Lion Theatre.
The New Red Lion is a brand new 60-seat theatre situated on City Road, Islington, which was opened in October 2010 by Damien Devine, proprietor and Managing Director of Red Lion Theatres. For over 30 years the Old Red Lion has played host to some of Britain's most exciting theatrical talent. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is the forth show produced by the new artistic team (Artistic director's Nicholas Thompson and Henry Filloux-Bennett) following the success of Decline and Fall starring Sylvester Mccoy, the critically acclaimed Kissing Sid James by Robert Farquhar and UK Premier of Theresa Rebecks Pulitzer Prize nominated What We're Up Against.
'Delighted to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) returning to London at this exciting new venue' Adam Long, Founder Member, The Reduced Shakespeare Company
‘As one of the newest venues in London we are thrilled to be staging The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), one of the best loved and longest running comedies ever written.'
- Henry Filloux-Bennett, Artistic Director, Old Red Lion
www.RedLionTheatres.co.uk / Running Time: 1oo mins (including interval)
