Theater review - The Reduced Shakespeare Company

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Complete History of America

Submitted on December 11, 1998
Reviews by Marisa Meisters

The Reduced Shakespeare Company, comprised of three American commedians, performs two hysterical shows: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Abridged (Wednesdays through Sundays) and The Complete History of America - Abridged (Tuesday evenings only).

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare starts with a brief, completely inaccurate bigraphy of Shakespeare's life mixed up with Hitler's, and quickly progresses into the Bard's comedies, then dramas (which, even the cast admits, are even funnier than the comedies [when performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company]). Sight gags, ad libs, props aplenty, and audience interaction highlight the first half. The second half of the performance involves a little bit of audience participation as the actors glide through three versions of Hamlet, each newer version comically superior to the previous ones.

The Complete History of America begins with a long scroll dating back over 2000 years but mainly makes fun of politicians from the past two centuries, with plenty of references to current political situations/scandals in the US. Warning: if you are seated within the first six rows, prepare to get a little bit wet (enough said!) It is easy to tell where the Americans are in the theater versus the British in that some of the jokes are so pointed that only those who have grown up in the US will appreciate them fully.

If you are in the mood for two hours of light comedy, I recommend either performance by the Reduced Shakespeare Company most highly. (Sometimes their tickets are on sale the day of the show at the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square).

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