William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged)
Play Description
Discovered in a treasure-filled parking lot in Leicester, England (next to a pile of bones that didn’t look that important), an ancient manuscript proves to be the long-lost first play written by none other than seventeen-year-old William Shakespeare from Stratford. We are totally not completely making this up. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (abridged) is the literary holy grail: an actual manuscript in Shakespeare’s own hand showing all his most famous characters and familiar speeches in a brand-new story. But because it’s one hundred hours long and contains multiple unwieldy storylines, it was decided, as a public service, to abridge it down to a brief and palatable ninety-minute performance for this lost masterpiece.
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
Period Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
- Rehearsal Video
- Productions
Press Quotes
“Something wickedly funny this way comes!” —The New York Times
“Whatever you’re doing, stop now. Run — do not walk; run — to the glorious ray of sunshine that is WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (abridged).” —DC Metro Arts
“A breathlessly irreverent, pun-filled romp!” —The Washington Post
“Hilarious! WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (abridged) equals, and in many ways exceeds, the genius of their previous material. Five stars!” —Broadway Baby
“Whether you’re a Shakespeare scholar or novice, measure for measure, this is a delight of a show!” —British Theatre Guide
“An absolute resolute HOOT of a bawdy comedy of errors!” —Broadway World
“You don’t have to be Shakes-fluent to enjoy WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (abridged). Bright, fun, exciting and fast, only love for the bard could produce this level of outrageous fun!” —Edinburgh Guide
“A top-notch comic deconstruction of Shakespeare!” The Stage — UK
“A truly rowdy, whip-smart ride … A fast-moving — no make that dizzying — paced work of comic artistry. It is vaudeville for our times. Five stars!”
DC Metro Arts
“Gloriously funny. Don’t miss it!” —Ken Ludwig (Playwright, LEND ME A TENOR, CRAZY FOR YOU)
“100 minutes of fast-paced comic mayhem! This isn’t an antithesis to Shakespeare at all. These guys are real Bard Geeks, playing off and therefore honoring his theatrical eminence. Fortunately, you don’t need to know the plays well to have fun, because the other half of LONG LOST SHAKES is its street theater energy and panache, cleverly playing off the audience.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A contemporary Monty Pythonesque romp … Theatergoers of all ages were laughing their collective heads off.” —Salt Lake Tribune
Book Information
Publisher | BPPI |
---|---|
Publication Date | 6/28/2018 |
Pages | 118 |
ISBN | 9780881457612 |
Special Notes
If original stage producers credits appear in bold below, all licensees are required to include them 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, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com