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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]
Reduced Shakespeare Company
Malvern Theatres
**** YOU know what you are going to get when
you go to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company: a stir-fry of
Shakespearean excerpts, diced, sliced and served with embellishments.
We were not disappointed! We even got ‘Hamlet’ cubed and turned over! One is reminded of Tom Stoppard’s Fifteen Minute Hamlet! There is no profundity or subtle social messages in this evening’s entertainment. It is a light-hearted and fun-filled performance
of frivolity, using the Bard as a skeleton on which to hang most of the
jokes The nature of the show is that it is a
fast-moving ensemble piece that includes many elements of physical
theatre as well as verbal jokes, puns, quotations and misquotations. It
helps to be familiar with a few of the plays, in particular ‘Romeo and
Juliet’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘Othello’ for a start. Perhaps an
awareness that Titus Andronicus is gruesome too! The nature of the piece is that the interaction
with the audience is a crucial part of the entertainment. The cast are
in constant dialogue with members of the audience, one or two are even
drawn up on to the stage, and everyone is called upon to shout or wave
at some point! The humour is thus derived from a variety of
elements. Shakepeare is of course highly revered as the world’s greatest
dramatist, his poetry admired and analysed in every literature course in
the land, if not the world, so an irreverent playing with his famous
texts and lines of sublime poetry becomes an enjoyable indulgence; we
poke fun at and tease those we love and cherish! The juxtaposition of some of those famous lines
with anachronistic references to modern technological life is classic
deconstruction and comedy. All the usual comic devices are employed –
repetition, pun, anti-climax . . . It is a formula that works
wonderfully well. The audience join in and are richly entertained. It would be invidious to pick out one individual
for praise in the cast of three. Matt Pearson, Gary Fannin and David
Ellis provide contrasting heights and physiques, voices and characters;
they interact with great slickness and precision. There is a general
youthfulness and energy about the whole show that endears them to the
audience who feel as though they have become friends by the final bows. The timing, the agility and inventiveness are
very good, and they swap roles with great efficiency; the farcical style
of the show results in a feeling of informality about the whole event. The show was a one-nighter in Malvern and they
have one final performance in Bath (10,July - Komedia Bath; 22-23
Westgate St, Bath BA1 1EP, Phone:0845 293 8480) to conclude their
UK tour! They provide a very enjoyable light evening of frivolity and
fun! Timothy Crow
09-07-15
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