The Bad Boys of Abridgement

* WARNING: High-speed hilarity. Not for people with weak hearts or English degrees!


I've got to tell you guys about something cool I got into whilst hanging around the East coast in January. If you have even the most basic understanding of Shakespeare, appreciate improv, or simply enjoy laughing I think there is something here for you.  Its a comedy troupe called the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

           You do not have to know Shakespeare to understand this show. The three actors (Reed, Austin, and Adam) take you on a rip-roaring, side-tickling, laugh-out-loud adventure into Shakespeare's work in only 90 minutes, and it doesn't even seem that long while watching the show, because you are so easily distracted by the slapstick humor and complete and utter lunacy of this show. From a condensed version of "Romeo and Juliet", to "Othello" performed as a rap, to all of the histories in one fell swoop as a football game, these men keep you on your toes and laughing the entire way. During their rendition of "Hamlet" there is an interpretive performance art sequence with a volunteer from the crowd on stage and entire audience involvement. Which they then reduce, re-reduce and re-re-reduce, and perform once backwards as an encore. (That may not appear to make sense, but trust me, it works!) All of this done in their interesting style of pseudo-serious Elizabethan garb and signature Chucks. I showed this to my nephew in his early teens and he actually wants to read the plays now, thats pretty impressive to me. 

              Since its start in 1981 as a pass-the-hat act in California, RSC has created six stage shows, several TV programs, and numerous radio pieces—all of which have been performed, seen, and heard the world over. The actors change over the years, which serves to keep the comedy fresh and different over time. They take the idea of brevity being the soul of wit to a new level, and they didn't stop with Shakespeare. The group has also produced shows like The Complete History of America (abridged). They followed this up with The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged). For the turn of the century they wrote The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged). All the Great Books (abridged) was next in the early 2000s. Completely Hollywood (abridged) is the troupe's sixth show, and a seventh show, The Complete World of Sports (abridged), began touring in Autumn of 2010. 

           If you like Shakespeare already, you'll like the witty satire going on here. If you like the Three Stooges, the slapstick is right up your alley. If you have a short attention span, don't worry. One can view this performance as a whole, or pick out bits one finds amusing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPdWcCHkxM Hamlet (1 of 4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC-f0drvdmM&feature=related The Othello Rap

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