The Reduced Shakespeare Company Radio Show (Audio Cassette)

by Adam Long (Author), Reed Martin (Author), Austin Tichenor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Did Romeo and Juliet have premarital sex? Did Hamlet have an edible complex (as documented by numerous food references in the play)? The Reduced Shakespeare Company asks this and more. This tape, originally produced for the BBC, will find a devoted audience among PDQ Bach fans. Despite all the bells and whistles, three American actors have an uncanny knack for picking out the crucial words in each play. Favourite Shakespeare, partially reliant on a poll conducted by Classic FM magazine, is extremely well abridged. The editors contend that the best way to understand Shakespeare is through his people. Beginning with the seven ages of man, these tapes do the delicate job of uniting the bard's men and women into one tragicomic whole. Six actors and actresses read from the plays, while interspersed sonnets offer more personal views of the writer's thoughts and theories. These are well narrated, with extremely cogent commentary by John Brunning. Neither of these tapes should be allowed near an academic library, but both will hopefully find homes in public, if antipodal, audio collections.?Rochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Four young Canadian males, calling themselves the Reduced Shakespeare Company, romp manically over Shakespeare's grave. Owing no little to the Marx Brothers, the "Goon Show" and "Beyond the Fringe," they are neither particularly original or clever, but they are, nonetheless, very, very funny, especially to those who enjoy iconoclastic, sophomoric humor or who hate Shakespeare, or both. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Partners (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572700599
• ISBN-13: 978-1572700598
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,640,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ripping Good Fun, April 13, 2000

By	Meghan Brown (Halifax, Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews

As the child of a teacher of English, I'd been introducted to many of Shakespeare's plays at a very early age. This has lead to two things - a twisted sense of humour and an appreciation of the same. The Reduced Shakespeare Company fits the bill perfectly. Silly, witty, and intelligent, the RSC puts life back into the bard. If you're looking for a serious scholarly thesis on Shakespeare, look elsewhere. If you're looking for somthing that will make you laugh until you cry, the RSC is for you! And hey, you never know - you might learn something too.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare like you've never heard it, September 25, 2001

By	trystan "trystan" (Silicon Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

I've been an RSC fan since their early renfaire days, & their work is as timeless as the Bard's. This is Shakespeare thru the eyes of American pop culture with references to everything from Casablanca to Dr. Ruth to rap music. But it's not Shakespeare for dummies -- the RSC lads know the real texts inside & out. They show Shakespeare's greatness thru their humor -- & they remind us how funny Shakespeare really is. The RSC would be an excellent introduction to Shakespeare for students or anyone who thinks the Bard is stuffy & boring.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny!, July 17, 1998

By A Customer

A whimsical mixture of slapstick humor and witty parody. Somewhat sophmoric at times, but generally insightful.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company knows their stuff, and are very creative about their presentation.