The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised)
Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess
Winfield. Directed by Ylaria Rogers. Theatre 3. Canberra Repertory Society.
Until December 2. Bookings 62571950.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
Alex McPherson, Callum Doherty and Ryan Street
in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised)
Shakespeare purists may throw up
their arms in despair. The groundlings, who are “capable of nothing but dumb show
and noise” may wonder what it’s all about. Shakespeare lovers and those who
love an evening of silliness and fun may simply enjoy themselves and leave the
theatre having had a great time. And what would Shakespeare have thought of
Canberra Rep’s production of The Complete
Works of Shakespeare (abridged)? How would he have responded to a show
where three actors romp through all 37 plays in a hundred minutes, and throw
in audience participation , a ton of
puns, physical madness and smatterings
of slapstick?. Well I think the man who wrote the Mechanicals scene in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and lampooned
Portia’s suitors in The Merchant of Venice
would have loved seeing his tragedies turned to farce, his Histories to a
hectic football match and his comedies mishmashed into stock situations. Of
course we will never know what the Bard would have really thought, but it was
clear on this wet and stormy night that the audience who laughed and clapped
and cheered at the zany antics of the trio of actors revelling in their art of
coarse acting were simply enjoying a carefree night of comedy .
But comedy is serious business
and director Ylaria Rogers keeps the action rollicking along with clever
business and a keen eye for clarity. Rogers knows that there is no room for
uncertainty and that her actors need to be on their toes every second of this crazy
revue style performance. In Ryan Street, Alex McPherson and Callum Doherty,
Rogers has cast three perforrmers ideally suited to capturing the lunacy of the
mockery while also assuring the intelligence of the text.The text is given due
credence in the recognizable speeches from Shakespeare’s more familiar plays.
If however, Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield intended to eliminate
the boring impact of Shakespeare studies in schools with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised) or give their
audiences a clearer understanding of the plots and themes of the canon, then audiences
unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s work are unlikely to leave the theatre with any
deeper insight into his works. Kayla Ciceran’s jumbled set design of piled up
chairs, scraps of flats, reused set and assorted materials sets the tone for a
rough and ready acting workshop. The performances are far from rough and ready
but the play is indicative of an idea built on improvisation and experiment and
refined with a tightly written script and carefully blocked rehearsal.
Street and McPherson and Doherty work well together, bouncing off each other but under Rogers’ watchful eye keeping the action slick and purposeful and the essential elements of the plot of each play clearly articulated whether the scene be a 12 minute performance of Romeo and Juliet or a 2 minute cooking demonstration of Titus Andronicus. It is Doherty who commands the stage with mercurial agility and an exploding energy that never loses control of character or intention. Doherty is a natural clown and a versatile actor. He is as much at ease somersaulting downstage or turning tragedy to comedy as he is in capturing the profundity of Hamlet’s “What a piece of work is man.” Doherty is an actor with the power to move as much as the ability to make an audience laugh or cry.
Sacrilege or side-splitting spoof,
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
(abridged) (revised) has been wowing audiences for decades with its unique brand of
clowning and Rep’s production has all
the fun and irreverence to make it ideal entertainment for the festive season.
If this style of comedy does not tickle your fancy, then at the Q Theatre
across the border, luminary actor Karen Vickery takes on the greatest of
Shakespeare’s tragic figures when Echo Theatre opens with King Lear this week.. Better still immerse yourself in the brilliance
of the Bard with this timely double bill.
