THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) | STAGE REVIEW
Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama, Cardiff, Tues Nov 12.
I hadn’t been this excited about seeing some Shakespeare since my English Lit class threw together a trip to London to see Ewan McGregor in Othello (and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the words of the bard I was looking forward to then).
The trio of loud, high-energy Americans wouldn’t seem like the production company of choice to demonstrate the entire works of William Shakespeare, but the Reduced Shakespeare Company have a great reputation for putting on a show and this particular performance has been the West End’s longest running comedy (hitting 11 years).
Deciding to take the show around the UK once more the other RSC found themselves in the surprisingly small Richard Burton Theatre at the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama. Knowing that the show had sold out weeks ago it, at first, seemed like an odd choice. When the show started however, with the actors soon running down the aisles and climbing over chairs, it became apparent why this more intimate venue was the one of choice.
We are first introduced to Will, Greg ( the shows pre-eminent Shakespearean scholar) and Rippy (soon to be discovered as the ‘fool’ of the trio). From that moment on the three of them thrown themselves whole heartedly into Shakespeare’s work, starting with Romeo and Juliet. Never before have I seen a performance of this classic tragedy which included the line “I hate this guy, his breath smells like butt”, but if there is one thing to expect from this show is the unexpected.
For the next two hours they blast through the work with the second half dedicated to ‘the best play ever written in the English language’: Hamlet. There is a lot going on in this adaptation, including some of the most entertaining and absurd audience participation I have ever witnessed (that include Panto), but here the beauty of Shakespeare’s words were not lost. In amongst all the jumping around, rude jokes and prop throwing were a few small moments of quiet respect and contemplation for some of Hamlet’s more famous speeches.
The ridiculousness soon ensued again and it dawned on me in the final part of this energetic show that it takes a lot of intelligence to make something so apparently stupid. If I can get my hands on a ticket you will be seeing me in the audience when the Reduced Shakespeare Company return to Cardiff next March with their own take on the Bible.
words: HEATHER ARNOLD
