Sunday, July 13, 2008

An Evening of Not Quite Shakespeare

Because of a sudden rain shower, tonight’s free performance by Stage Door Productions of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was slightly abridged. No matter—it was still the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. The play was presented on the grassy field across from the downtown library, a great venue for a summer evening (sudden showers notwithstanding). The play is a silly, slapstick romp through the works of Shakespeare, performed by just three actors, with hilariously condensed versions of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus performed as a cooking show, Othello as a rap, Shakespeare’s histories as a football game, and all the comedies distilled into a single plot. The second half of the play was a performance of Hamlet cut tragically short by the weather. Hopefully I'll get to see the whole show someday. Kudos to the cast.

Stage Door’s next production is Oliver, starting on July 18 at Massaponax High School.

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