Review: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) at Apprentice Productions

Years ago I was given a rule of thumb for critiquing a Shakespeare production: if it's done well, you'll understand what the characters are saying. The biggest surprise of watching Apprentice Productions opening night of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was how clear much of the original text was. It would have been easy to cast reasonably funny actors with little to no appreciation for the bard. Instead, the cast made it clear how much respect they have for the original material. I love good Shakespeare, but sometimes watching a performance can be akin to being locked in a room with an out of tune mariachi band. While watching TCWWS(A) I found myself at several moments enjoying the delivery of classic monologues and was gladly taken off guard by how well the poetry sings. In a show full of pratfalls, genital injury, and dry vomiting, it's nice that they respect the art.

The play has a hilarious concept. All of Shakespeare's plays condensed down to an hour and forty-five minutes, plus an intermission. You might think this would make for a show that lampoons his work, and it does, but most of the comedy comes from the actors' attempt at working with each other's egos while paying tribute to the master. It's not too off base from an extended Three Stooges routine, with plenty of bodily harm to go around. Of course the Stooges would never bother to educate the audience on some of the history behind the play, nor would they pay respect to the regret most people feel once they're old enough to appreciate Shakespeare, that they didn't give it the time of day when they were young.

Is this play good for people who know nothing about iambic pentameter? I'd say it certainly would surprise a layman. If you're the type of person who thinks Shakespeare only wrote romances, then the section riffing on Titus Andronicas will shock you. Funny enough, the play never gets as raunchy as Shakespeare's actual work. There are only a few colorful euphemisms for body parts as opposed to Shakespeare's delightful obsession with describing male ligament with every word under the sun. There are jokes at the expense of Shakespeare's favorite target (women) but not nearly as many as the originals. The play stays PG throughout, making it great for parents and children.

Apprentice Productions took ownership of the material. The show is full of modern day references, jabs, and improv. If you like interacting with the stage, there were several fun moments where the audience was asked to participate. I can confirm that the audience participants were not plants, so their contributions were genuine and spontaneous. Opening night they lucked out with an audience Ophelia who's blood curdling scream led to an instant round of applause. On any other night, who knows what might happen.

Of course the production comes at a particularly intense moment in the American Theatre. This is actually the first live performance I've seen in over a year. Adding to the tension is the fact that Apprentice Productions is a brand new company with a lot of real world problems to juggle. Their inaugural play is a crowd pleaser. What impact they might have as the Houston Theatre scene reopens, can only be known in time.

A link to the Apprentice Productions website tickets page here

The show runs July 10, 12, 16, and 17 at Spark Theatre
21610 Texas 249 Houston, TX 77070

Photo Credit: Scatterlight Photography

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