The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
Play Description
All 37 plays in 97 minutes! Three madcap men in tights weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) was London’s longest-running comedy.
Production Info
Cast: 3 total (3 male, as written; gender-diverse and/or expanded casts welcome)Full Length Comedy (about 97 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
- Productions
Press Quotes
“A madcap condensation that features nonstop laughs. Done at a whirlwind pace and with great delight, they are sure to win over even the most skeptical. And there is no doubt that William Shakespeare himself … would approve.” —Daily Variety
“If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!” —The Today Show
“Stupendous, anchorless joy!” —The London Times
“Wildly funny. Masterful!” —The Los Angeles Times
“The funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime.” —The Montreal Gazette
“Shamelessly heretical!” —Time Out (London)
“Gloriously, relaxingly funny.” —The Financial Times
“Shakespeare as it was back in the Bard’s day: bawdy, irreverent, sublimely entertaining.” —The Miami Herald
Author(s)
Adam LongAdam Long is the co-creator, co-writer and director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company's THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), which ran in London's West End for nine years and was nominated for an Olivier Award. THE COMPLETE WORKS also ran Off-Broadway twice and continues to enjoy numerous successful tours throughout the world. His feature-length film THE BARN won The Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards. Adam has written for Disney (DUDE THAT'S MY GHOST, HISTORY ON TOAST and LAST MINUTE BOOK REPORTS), PBS (THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)), Channel Four UK (TRIGGER HAPPY TV and THE RING REDUCED), BBC Radio Four (THE HISTORY BOYS CONDENSED, CONDENSED HISTORIES OF THE BRITISH POLITICAL PARTIES and HOME TRUTHS) and Lucasfilm & BSkyB (STAR WARS SHORTENED). Other stage shows include DICKENS ABRIDGED (The Arts Theatre, London and UK Tour), SATAN SINGS MOSTLY SONDHEIM (Jermyn St. Theatre, London), THE BIBLE: THE COMPLETE WORD OF GOD (ABRIDGED) (Reduced Shakespeare), THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (ABRIDGED) (Reduced Shakespeare), and DECONSTRUCTING ALBERT (The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield). Adam also provides the voice of Mr. Small for the BAFTA and Emmy Award winning THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL(Cartoon Network).
Daniel SingerDaniel Singer has been a theatrical impresario from the moment he looked up the word 'impresario' in the dictionary, founding his first company, General Amazement Theater in Santa Rosa, California, when he was just 18. Upon his return from studying "proper dramatic technique" in London, he became a director at the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, where he founded the subversive Reduced Shakespeare Company, whose three-man farce THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) enjoyed a record-breaking run in London's West End and has since become one of the world's most popular comedy shows. In 1989 Daniel hung up his doublet-and-hose to design theme park attractions at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he also co-founded the Flower Street Players, an in-house theater company for Disney employees. Since 2000, Daniel has been a freelance designer, writer, and event producer in Los Angeles. His new hit comedy, A PERFECT LIKENESS, chronicles Lewis Carroll's (fictitious) attempt to get his literary hero Charles Dickens to pose for a photograph in 1866 Oxford. Coming soon to a theater near you!
Jess WinfieldJess Winfield was an original member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, co-author of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), and performed with the troupe from its founding in 1981 until 1992, when he realized he'd played the title role of Hamlet more times than John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier combined and suddenly felt very old. He left the troupe to write and produce animated television for the Walt Disney Company, which made him feel young again — until he'd been there for ten years, at which point he felt old again. He left Disney to write My Name Is Will — A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare (Twelve Books). Depicting excessive drug use and promiscuous sex by both a would-be young Shakespeare scholar in the 1980s and the 18-year-old Immortal Bard himself in the 1580s made Jess feel young again; but then he and Daniel Singer revised the COMPLETE WORKS in honor of its 20th anniversary and directed it in the West End, which made him feel old again. He now lives in Hollywood with his wife (and original RSC costume goddess), Sa, and is working on his second novel … which makes him feel like he's in his forties.
Book Information
| Publisher | Applause |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2/1/2011 |
| Pages | 80 |
| ISBN | 9781557832719 |
Special Notes
All licensees are required to give credit to the original stage producers of the play in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
Originally produced by Reduced Shakespeare Company
In addition, the following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, New York, NY
Upcoming and Recent Productions
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Production Info
Cast: 3 total (3 male, as written; gender-diverse and/or expanded casts welcome)Full Length Comedy (about 90 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
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Production Info
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Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
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Minimal Set Requirements
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Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
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Minimal Set Requirements
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The cultural touchstone that is THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) was born when three inspired, charismatic comics, having honed their pass-the-hat act at Renaissance fairs, premiered their preposterous masterwork at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987. It quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, earning the title of London’s longest-running comedy after a decade at the Criterion Theatre. THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) is one of the world’s most frequently produced plays and has been translated into several dozen languages. Featured are all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, meant to be performed in 97 minutes, by three actors. Fast paced, witty, and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike. The original version was followed by the 2010 REVISED version, and this latest REVISED AGAIN version includes changes that celebrate and encourage greater diversity and inclusivity in today’s theater!
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Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
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