Admittedly, it’s been since high school that I’ve read any Shakespeare. So I probably should have dusted off and perused my copy of Shakespeare for Dummies before I went to see The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged, if only to review the plays I’ve already read and familiarize myself with the ones I haven’t. But it’s not absolutely necessary before you see the play; even if you’ve never read any of Shakespeare’s works, you’ll likely be able to keep up.
The Complete Works makes Shakespeare more accessible to a general audience in a variety of ways. The first is the minimalist cast. The fact that there are only 3 actors throughout the whole show cuts down on the confusion of having to keep track of which character is which. A quick change of wig, shirt, and voice indicate a change of character and instantly, an entire play’s worth of characters is created with only 3 guys. The small cast and lack of scenery also allow for all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays to be performed in only 97 minutes.
Going into the play, I expected that the entire performance would be spoken completely in modern English and was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s not. Instead, parts of it are done in modern English, while others are performed using some of the most classic and recognizable lines of Shakespeare done in modern “accents.” Imagine the famous “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” line in Wayne’s World-like voices.
The fun really turns up once they start interacting with the crowd. If ever you find yourself starting to drift off, nothing will bring you back to the present like one of the actors running through the crowd loudly and obnoxiously pretending to vomit all over audience members. Your chances of dozing off are slim to none when you realize that at any moment, you could have an actor running off the stage to come steal your food or sit on your lap amidst your group of friends.
During Hamlet, Ophelia’s “Get thee to a nunnery!” scene becomes a whole production in and of itself when the crowd is solicited to act as her ego, superego, and id. One poor unsuspecting soul was picked from the audience to play Ophelia, and the rest of the audience was split into 3 subgroups of superego-driven thoughts in her head. Another random audience member was chosen to play her id, running back and forth across the stage while the front row waved their arms back and forth as her ego. The whole exercise was intended to show Ophelia’s “layers” and everything going on in her head during the scene, and it was very effective. Even my mom, who notoriously gets lost during Shakespeare plays, grasped the concept with no background in either Freud or Shakespeare.
Updated, but still true to the essence of each play, this is not your typical stuffy performance of these classics. If you’ve always been interested in Shakespeare but were turned off by the “thees,” “thous,” and “thines,” this play is for you. Even Shakespeare’s most tragic and gruesome plays become a thing of whimsy with The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged. You’ll wonder why it couldn’t have been this entertaining and easy to understand in 9th grade English class.
The Actors’ Theatre of Columbus is currently in its 31st season of performances. Most performances take place in Schiller Park, but there is also another show coming up at the Columbus Commons. (A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare plays at Columbus Commons starting September 13 and runs through September 23. Showtime is 7:30pm. Performances are free of charge, but donations are strongly encouraged and appreciated.)
For more info on The Actors’ Theatre of Columbus and a schedule of upcoming performances, visit www.theactorstheatre.org.
You can catch them this weekend in German Village’s Schiller Park performing The Servant of Two Masters, nightly at 8pm.
