The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s most recent production was a riot!
I’ve begun carrying a notebook around so I can reference my notes when writing performance reviews. I brought my notebook to The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], but it never made it out of my bag. I was captivated from the first second to the last as this hilarious production guided audience members through the Bard’s works. The play’s description states “if you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll LOVE this show.” As someone who loves Shakespeare, I still loved this show!
Photo by Lee A. Butz/Kristy McKeever
The play was, obviously, very well written, and the playwrights’ effort was clear. I think that “silly” shows deserve just as much credit as serious ones, especially when it comes to the playwright’s skill. In this case, I think it must have been exceptionally difficult to firstly wrap all of Shakespeare’s canon into 99 minutes, make it entertaining for the audience, and deliver some of the most complex and often tragic plotlines in all of literature in a humorous way. Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield are the three writers responsible for creating this genius work, and Singer and Winfield contributed to the revisions which I saw at PSF. My parents (who are pretty unfamiliar with Shakespeare) loved the many allusions present in the play. Whether it was presenting Laertes as Elvis or referencing the movie Ghosts, my parents felt connected to a play which they did not expect to feel connected to. This also goes for me, as I love Shakespeare but haven’t gotten around to reading/watching all of his plays. I really enjoyed the comedies section. To drop some minor spoilers, the actors explained the patterns in Shakespeare’s work, revealing through a puppet show which encompassed every single one of his comedies how the Bard often used the same formula when writing his plays. I thought it was not only one of the many hilarious mini plays within the play, but it was also genuinely thought provoking. I think that the writers (and revisors) did a fantastic job encapsulating the very best of the Bard and giving the actors lots of material to work with.
Photo by Lee A. Butz/Kristy McKeever
There were three actors showcased in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]. Eli Lynn, Sean Close, and Sabrina Lynn Sawyer fabulously bounced off one another as they scrambled around, portraying all of the Bard’s greatest characters with their three person ensemble. The use of costumes only added to the comedy, as one actor would run offstage, add a wig that was falling over their eyes, and run back on again to deliver lines as another iconic character. Their preparation was clear, as there was virtually no time for them to catch a breath, think about upcomings lines, or do anything else backstage. All three bounced really well off one another and off the audience. In addition, the audience participation was fabulous because the actors made everyone feel comfortable enough to chime in! They were so effortlessly funny and comfortable onstage, and they did not miss a single beat!
As a whole, my experience watching The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] was a great one. I laughed, laughed some more, and basically didn’t stop laughing until I was in the car and well on my way home. Bravo to everyone involved in this production. I know you poked fun at him, but Shakespeare would be proud!
