Complete Works of Shakespeare in 97 Minutes
Mon, 23 July 2001, 07:06 pmSol3 posts in thread
Complete Works of Shakespeare in 97 Minutes
Mon, 23 July 2001, 07:06 pmIf you are one of those retired English professors who worships Shakespeare, then be sure to avoid this show at all costs. It is purely for the remaining 98% of humanity which believes that the works of Shakespeare was meant to be entertaining. And although only the more devoted fans of Shakespeare may actually get the subtle puns and satire of the original works, this reworking of every single play written by the Bard would have even the most ardent anti-Bard spectator wetting his codpiece.
To be fair, "The Complete Works of Shakespeare in 97 Minutes" bares little resemblance to authentic Shakespeare. It is instead a crafty excuse for three actors to indulge in very basic forms of humour - especially slapstick - at the expense of the more popular quotes and scenes from each classic play. The result, sacrilegious though it may be, is one extremely funny stageshow.
Currently playing at Brisbane's Twelfth Night Theatre - and rumoured to extend to another week - "Complete Works" relies as much on the dynamic natures of the three tightly interacting performers as it does on the scripting. Each actor adopts a particular persona which is well and truly established within the first ten minutes, and that persona is then exploited to the extreme, as the characters present the more interesting elements of each play, using their adopted personalities to interpret the scenes in their own demented way.
Juliet awakes to a new day with a fitful yawn, and loudly breaks wind! Hamlet and the gravediggers end up playing Rugby League with Yorick's skull, and absolutely every single tragic heroine manages, before dying, to throw up in the lap of the same hapless audience member.
This is not a highbrow show! No joke is too obvious or crass. But at the same time, there are some very clever planted puns which only the more seasoned Shakespeare devotees will catch onto, and when they do, they laugh loudest. Although this is not so much because the joke is funny, but more because the few people who do catch on want the rest of the audience to know this! But what the hell, if the actors can indulge as much as they do, so can the audience!
This is a show for general audiences, although some parents may balk at the more crass humour. Generally, however, if you get the joke, then you're old enough to watch! If you're not old enough, then you won't get it anyway, so no harm done.
A word of warning though: If you get queasy at the sight of fake blood, or even the mention of the word, you might want to leave the auditorium during the scene from Titus Andronicus' Cooking Show. It's funny, but vivid!
The climax to the play had the audience ovating in the standing position, as the whole show was repeated in the final minutes, much abridged but backwards!
If you are in Brisbane during July, do your best to get to the Twelfth Night Theatre. But if you sit in the front row, then be prepared to take part in some rather merciless audience interaction.
Sol.
To be fair, "The Complete Works of Shakespeare in 97 Minutes" bares little resemblance to authentic Shakespeare. It is instead a crafty excuse for three actors to indulge in very basic forms of humour - especially slapstick - at the expense of the more popular quotes and scenes from each classic play. The result, sacrilegious though it may be, is one extremely funny stageshow.
Currently playing at Brisbane's Twelfth Night Theatre - and rumoured to extend to another week - "Complete Works" relies as much on the dynamic natures of the three tightly interacting performers as it does on the scripting. Each actor adopts a particular persona which is well and truly established within the first ten minutes, and that persona is then exploited to the extreme, as the characters present the more interesting elements of each play, using their adopted personalities to interpret the scenes in their own demented way.
Juliet awakes to a new day with a fitful yawn, and loudly breaks wind! Hamlet and the gravediggers end up playing Rugby League with Yorick's skull, and absolutely every single tragic heroine manages, before dying, to throw up in the lap of the same hapless audience member.
This is not a highbrow show! No joke is too obvious or crass. But at the same time, there are some very clever planted puns which only the more seasoned Shakespeare devotees will catch onto, and when they do, they laugh loudest. Although this is not so much because the joke is funny, but more because the few people who do catch on want the rest of the audience to know this! But what the hell, if the actors can indulge as much as they do, so can the audience!
This is a show for general audiences, although some parents may balk at the more crass humour. Generally, however, if you get the joke, then you're old enough to watch! If you're not old enough, then you won't get it anyway, so no harm done.
A word of warning though: If you get queasy at the sight of fake blood, or even the mention of the word, you might want to leave the auditorium during the scene from Titus Andronicus' Cooking Show. It's funny, but vivid!
The climax to the play had the audience ovating in the standing position, as the whole show was repeated in the final minutes, much abridged but backwards!
If you are in Brisbane during July, do your best to get to the Twelfth Night Theatre. But if you sit in the front row, then be prepared to take part in some rather merciless audience interaction.
Sol.