By MITCHELL PEARL
This weekend, Otter Valley’s Walking Stick Theatre will present “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised, Again].” The play features student actors in the upper-grade levels at Otter Valley. Many are seniors, and this will be their last time performing on the Otter Valley stage as students. Performances are Friday evening, May 30, and Saturday Evening, May 31, both nights at 7:30.
The play, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” was London’s longest-running comedy, having clocked a very palpable nine years on London’s West End—England’s version of Broadway. It is a wild romp through all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays in just under two hours—sixteen actors, dozens of characters, and zero time for iambic pentameter—though even some of Shakespeare’s sonnets are covered! The “Revised, Again” version has been updated to ensure that the humor is relevant and understandable for today’s American audiences.
Whether you are a Shakespeare scholar or a complete newbie, strap in for a wild, fast, funny crash course in Shakespeare like you’ve never seen before. If you “brush up your Shakespeare” you are sure to catch some references you might otherwise miss, but everyone is familiar with the familiar scenes from Romeo and Juliet (“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”), or the soliloquy from Hamlet (“To be, or not to be, that is the question . . . .”), which are featured in this play like nowhere else.
Many of these experienced Walking Stick student actors have just recently returned from the New England Drama Festival presenting their festival piece “Queens.” With “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” expect something completely different, but the same skills, energy, and intensity are apparent. Shakespeare has never been this ridiculous or, perhaps, this much fun. Expect sword fights, sock puppets, pop culture, and plenty of audience participation.Tickets are just five dollars and will be available at the door, or can be purchased online at www.ovwalkingsticktheatre.com. The show runs for about an hour and 40 minutes, and there will be one intermission. Back in Shakespeare’s day, his plays would have been rated at least PG-13 for their language and “bawdiness”; this play follows suit.
