Customer Reviews

The Reduced Shakespeare Company - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When the Reduced Shakespeare Company performs <The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)>, it is a case of three apparently indefatigable actors (Adam Long, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor) whirlwinding through the plays, some of which are barely mentioned, some of which are treated at greater length--all in 90 minutes. Well, the Good News is that the show is now available from Acorn Media on a VHS. (Note: this video contains material not shown on PBS.)

To cut to the chase, you really have to know your Bard to get all the jokes. Treating "Titus Andronicus" as a cooking class works if you are familiar enough with the plot (the recent movie might help here); and unless you know your English kings from Richard II to Richard III (with all the Henrys in the middle), the football game with a crown as ball will have little meaning. ( I thought the line about cutting Henry VI into three parts was the best in this sketch.)

Possibly the bit that calls for the audience's greatest degree of knowledge and concentration is the resume of a plot that combines all the Shakespearean comedies into a single play (with a very long title). There are plenty of in-jokes and bad puns throughout Act I to demand your fullest attention--and again, few of them work if you do not know the originals.

The first act ends with a little situation in which one of the troupe refuses to do "Hamlet" and flees from the theater. When Act II begins, he has not been brought back and the remaining actor must fill the time with Monty Python-like bad routines. Once back on track, the audience is enlisted to help one of their number (I assume she is not a plant) "feel" the part of Ophelia. The trio's versatility is put to the test at the very end when they repeat the entire Hamlet production quickly, then very quickly, and finally very quickly and backwards!

So all in all, this is a joyous romp for those "in the know" and one that might seem pretty pointless for those who have avoided Shakespeare once school was over. Therefore I must give it 4 stars out of 5 in general, although it deserves 5-plus for those who have stuck with the iambics all these years.

A perfect gift for your English teacher, by the way. Unless you are an English teacher, in which case buy one for yourself.

I was introduced to the Reduced Shakespeare Company when I was cast in a production of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]" in college. The play was the funniest thing I'd ever done -- I pulled a muscle when I first read the script simply from laughing too hard -- and I've been a huge fan of theirs ever since.

Finally, their premiere production is available on DVD! This video of a production starring Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor and Adam Long is as funny as the script was the first time I read it. I was unusual, after having been in the play myself, to see how some of the originators actually envisioned the scenes, as well as how the scenes had evolved in the years since the play was first published -- the Titus Andronicus cooking show, for instance, went from a cross-dressing gag to an Emeril parody. It was still hysterically funny.

The DVD also has a surprising amount of special features, including a video of the complete "Romeo and Juliet" segment from the first ever production of the show, starring Adam Long, Jess Winfield and Daniel Singer. (It's also interesting to note how THAT scene evolved from the first production until the date of publication.)

If you're an RSC fan, this is a great DVD. If you've never seen one of their shows before, watch this DVD -- you'll become a fan.

For maximum enjoyment, you should know Hamlet because it takes up half of the production. Also, the jokes are best if you have a pretty solid knowledge of Mr. Shakespeare. Even so, the video is appealing in a Three Stooges kind of way even if you have no idea about this guy Shakespeare. The fact that all of the comedies are covered in one fell swoop is a funny (and accurate) commentary in itself. The best part is that Shakespeare is seen as F-U-N for all ages. ***Caution- As with every video, preview before showing to your classes. There are a few curse words and other touchy material. Othello's *ahem* manhood is alluded to in a ...stereotypical way and the Titus Andronicus cooking show, while humorous, does rely on a bit of black humor. I find the majority of this video to be best suited to English majors and 12th-grade students.

My Shakespeare class is made up of high school juniors and seniors who beg for more each time I show them a segment from this video! They appreciate the rip-roaring humor these three gentlemen pump into Shakespeare's works. As their teacher, I enjoy watching them delight in the Bard. Some may feel this video is trite, but the fact remains that real enjoyment can only be had if one is familiar with the work. Watching this video has enticed my students to actually want to read the plays!
This is a teachers must-have tool if you're doing Shakespeare.

I first encountered this grandly amusing entertainment as a live production at my university campus some years ago. My son and I decided to to go based solely on the play's title, and a winking characature of Shakespeare displayed on the poster. Little did we know what that wink signified, as we had no idea of the lunacy that was in store for us. When "The Reduced Shakespeare Company" came available on VHS (then, later, DVD), I purchased it, and have been enjoying and sharing it ever since.

As a secondary English teacher, I have difficulty sometimes getting my students to embrace the classics. When I mention Shakespeare, eyes roll, heads fall onto desks, and moans can be heard. It's like getting a small child to eat his vegetables. Like broccoli, the classics are good for us, but they're hard for some to digest.

Enter the Reduced Shakespeare Company with its "The Complete Works of "William Shakespeare (Abridged)." I have used excerpts in class to show the kids that Shakespeare can be a lot of fun. With their more-or-less complete versions of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet," even my most resistant students know the major plot points and themes of these plays.

The overview of the other plays is inspired, lumping the main ideas of Shakespeare's comedies into one tossed-salad. The histories are also compressed in a manner that only Americans could have devised.

And, one can never view "Othello" in quite the same way after hearing the "Reduced Shakesperians" rendition of "Othello Rap."

This performance is much more (or less) than a teaching tool. It is a rollicking, comedic fun time for all. 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.

I have viewed "The Complete Works" several times now, both with my family and with my students, and each time I find a new joke, or even a new insight, that I missed earlier.

Some have suggested that Shakespeare is perhaps rolling in his grave at this treatment of his plays. I like to believe, however, that if he were alive today, Will would be laughing--all the way to the bank.

The material, the actors, the show, are all hilarious from beginning to end. This SHOULD have been a DVD to treasure in its entirety... BUT. In adapting the piece to the TV screen, the director (Paul Kafno, I name names!) has gone berserk! Incessantly cutting to the audience reacting to the jokes, instead of allowing US to react; cutting to close-ups when it is vital to the joke that we see the full stage; a positive genius for having the camera in the wrong place at the wrong time; and at least half a dozen (based on audience reaction) jokes we don't get to see because the camera is showing the afore-mentioned reactions; all serve to undercut what could have been a perfect gem

This will not appeal to everyone. People who love Shakespeare but take it too seriously will find it appalling. For anyone who has a sense of humor and likes the absurd, it is a must see, even if you don't like Shakespeare. It is hilarious!

Three guys take it upon themselves to produce an evening of the complete works of Shakespeare. They even throw in the sonnets for free. Needless to say, this involves some cutting of corners. A lot of corners are cut. This results in lots of corners being cut. The results are hilarious.

Every play gets at least an allusion but a few are taken with a little more depth. The evening starts out with Romeo and Juliet and then progresses to a quick summary of Titus Andronicus. The comedies are breezed through and then we get Macbeth, the histories and are set up for Hamlet. They actually do Hamlet three times...four if you count doing it backwards.

It's a night of fun and audience participation. It is highly recommended.

my mother in law on Christmas Eve. I gave this to my husband for Christmas and we were only going to show bits to the family to see how it was-but we ended up watching the whole thing. My mother in-law, a great grandmother twice over, laughed so hard she almost needed medical attention. The next day, she would see things that reminded her of scenes and would laugh all over again. My teenage boys also found this to be hilarious and wanted to see it more than once. Definitely a DVD for the whole family...I'm not a fan of the "Titus" scene-humor about cut off hands isn't my bag-but it was in the play... I liked the Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet parts, especially since they were required reading in school. The only drawback is that you laugh so long at each joke you miss the next line. You should definitely own this one so you can catch the parts you missed first go around.

At the time I am writing this review, I am a college junior pursuing an English major. I was introduced to this comedic troupe completely by accident when I heard explosions of laughter coming from my next-door neighbors dorm room. I wandered over to see what was so funny at 2:00 am and walked into a sight that I still laugh at to this day.

Four of my best friends were sprawled around the room laughing their heads off at something on the TV. I glanced over to see what they were looking at, and found them watching the "Hamlet" portion of this DVD. I sat down to watch it with them, and even though I had no clue what was going on, and had just been woken up, even I was forced into hiliarity by this performance.

The next day I returned to their room (soda in hand)
and watched it again with them from the beginning, laughing so hard that at one point I actually spat out a mouthful of Diet Coke all over the carpet when they pulled a particularly funny joke. Since then I have been a fan and have watched this movie more times than I can count, and I now own my own copy.

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.

What I do find interesting is the attempt at the beginning of the show to put on an air of seriousness and thus throw off the thought that this is a comedy. Austin gets up on stage and does a five minute ramble on "stepping into the future" and "placing a copy of the Complete Works into every hotel room in the world". Adam does a remarkably funny spiel about Shakespeare's life, badly confusing it with Adolf Hitler, which is the first indication of this crazy ride.

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, this three men are talented at keeping you off-balance and laughing the entire way.

I highly recommend that anyone even looking at these reviews invest the money and buy a copy of this DVD or VHS. You will not be disappointed! However, I also suggest that you do not eat or drink while watching this production, unless you (inevitably) wish to find yourself cleaning up spilled food and drink at the end, as I did when I first saw this movie.

I don't understand anyone who doesn't think Reduced Shakespeare is anything less than perfection...because it's the perfect combination between intellectual humor and slapstick. It's funny for those who don't know Shakespeare and hilarious for those who do! I'd recommend this video to anyone! The book is great to read to!