I LOVED this performance. Shakespeare may be rolling in his grave for it, but I must say that it was the hardest I’ve laughed in a very long time. Did I learn anything new? Aside from the fact that the man wrote a truck load of plays, not at all. But that doesn’t mean it was without value.

In all honesty, the title of the show is a bit of a misnomer, with most of the shows getting little more than a fleeting mention. The main focus was more so on the antics of the 5 actors, but what a talented group of actors it was. Being a fairly reserved person myself, I’ve always found it difficult to be my own crazy self in front of any number of people. The fact that they did so in front of a whole room simply baffles me… Yeah, yeah, they’re actors, it’s what they do, but I was still in complete awe….

That may or may not be because one of them burped the alphabet, though…

Either way, I’ve recommended this show to every single one of my friends and can’t praise it enough. So much fun 😀

Last Thursday I did not know I was up for such a laughter ridden evening. I have never seen a play at the Schwartz center so I did not know what to expect. Where they going to be like the plays put on at the Lawrence Art Center at home? Would it be filled with even more jokes? Would the actors be like any old theater kid or would they be serious 100% of the time with little time to goof off or laugh. I knew I was going to see The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged, but I did not expect it to be so thorough with room for humor and education.

I was excited to see a black actor taking on the leading role. That was in fact the first time I had ever seen a black woman play a major role in a theatrical production. She and the rest of the cast took on various roles in order to relay the significance behind Shakespeare’s works. It has been said that humor is the most telling sign of intelligence. This cast in particular did that and more. At times I thought that the story lines were in impromptu,  but they have mastered their craft in such a way that they do not come across as overly rehearsed. Though almost everyone in the small cast took on multiple roles, some more than others, each person still maintained a piece of their identity through out the production. I even enjoyed the stage set up. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked in. At the focal point of it all there was a sarcastic picture of Shakespeare, he looked scarred yet annoyed.

The production seemed especially relatable to all audiences, but especially for college students. This was also the first time I went to a play where I did not know any of the cast members, in the past I would go to such events to support a friend, not because I particularly enjoyed the experience. After seeing this I told everyone that they should check it out the following weekend it is out. The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged has made me even more inclined to visit the Schwartz center on my own accord.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged & Revised was one of the funniest plays I have ever seen. I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard while watching a play! Somehow the five actors managed to preform some sort of interpretation of each of shakespeare works, some of which, were unbelievably fleeting. I am so glad I was able to attend this play. The last few plays I have been to I did not find as enjoyable as this one, but this one kept the crowd laughing constantly!

I am very impressed with my fellow students for putting on such a great play. I am sure it took a lot of rehearsing, skill, and practicing, but they made it look so effortless! I think it would be fun to talk to these students and the directors and see how a play like this is created. I hope to see another play by these students to help support their dreams and ambitions.

I really enjoyed this play, and if anyone needs some stress relief or something fun to do I would recommend seeing this play! It runs again on march 4th and 5th.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] was absolutely brilliant. The actors were fantastic, and my stomach hurt from laughing so hard! I loved how the two plays that everyone knows (Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet) were both acted out in full, while all the others were written to be what most people think of them as – a blur of words and common plots. The acting felt real and intimate – they had great chemistry and were never boring. I loved how Shakespeare was expressed mostly in modern ideas. My favourite part was Hamlet backwards, with an appearance of Dracula saying “Blood your suck to want I!” And though I’m not usually one for audience participation, section C saying “Cut the crap Hamlet, my biological clock is ticking and I want babies now!” was  hilarious. (Ophelia had a great C section). The puns and the jokes were all hilarious and Jacob’s rendition of Hamlet’s final speech was simultaneously out of place and completely captivating. The play was such a pleasant surprise and I am so glad I went! (And you should all go it was so good).

While I’m aware that Shakespeare’s plays are often adapted in modern productions, I think the Schwartz Center’s production of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged took creative reinterpretation to a whole new level. The description of the show stated that it would cover 37 plays in 97 minutes, and the 5 member cast managed to accomplish this by hilariously combining and abbreviating the plays.

All of Shakespeare’s historical plays, for instance, were acted out as part of a football game between opposing kings, and all of the comedies were combined into one wild, complicated plot. Throughout these scenes, the cast frequently interspersed jokes relating to modern culture from the current presidential election to Star Wars. I was impressed, however, that despite the rapid pace and the addition of new jokes, the performance also managed to include long sections of the original dialogue from the plays.

I also really enjoyed how the cast incorporated the audience into the performance, frequently running up and down the aisles and bringing people in the front row onto the stage. In the last act, the cast did an extremely hilarious version of Hamlet and during Ophelia’s mad scene they directed each part of the audience to chant different phrases and do hand motions supposedly representing Ophelia’s conflicting emotions.

Overall this performance made for a very enjoyable evening and encouraged me to go out and read some more Shakespeare in unabridged form.