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COMPLEATLY COMEDY, COMPLEATLY HILARIOUS, THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WILLM. SHAKSPR. (abridged)
Back by popular demand for an encore performance, Stage 3 Theatre Company will present the play that definitively proves all of Shakespeare's plays were really comedies, The Compleat Works of Wllm. Shakspr. (abridged). "The Compleat Works" is a fast-paced hilarious romp through the fields of Shakespeare at breakneck speed with laughs around every corner. The production, directed by Stage 3 Artistic Director, Barbara Segal-Mill and starring Orin Holland, Frank Silva and Eric Owens, played to sold-out houses for its entire run in the summer of 1998. A touring production at Denair Gas Light Theatre in January of '99 had them rolling in the aisles, too.
And so, we're bringing back those "boys of summer" to do "The Compleat Works" one more time, from June 16th through July 16th for 16 breathtaking performances. If you missed it before, now is your chance to see one of the funniest shows ever produced at Stage 3. It has something for everyone, and you don't have to be a Shakespearean scholar to "get it."
The comedy was developed by the original members of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Adam Long, Jess Winfield and Daniel Singer, three impoverished but immensely talented California actors who began "barbing" the revered Bard in 1981 at Renaissance Faires throughout the state. Word of their antics quickly spread and soon their brand of humor, which began with an hilarious abbreviated version of "Hamlet" as a sixteenth century vaudeville show, burgeoned into a theatrical tour de farce called, appropriately, The Compleat Works of Wllm. Shakspr. (abridged).
As the character, Polonious, pointed out in Hamlet, "Brevity is the soul of wit". The Reduced Shakespeare Company took this advice literally to heart and reduced some 1 million 200 thousand words to a meager 32,000. Co-creator, Jess Winfield explains: "We have expunged much of Shakespeare's subtle psychological insight, his carefully spun subplots, his well-honed social satire and skipped right to the sex and killing." This irreverent deconstruction of Shakespeare's work gives the audience a whirlwind tour of all 37 plays in one sitting. And what a tour it is! Fresh, energetic and funny, it has played to audiences all over the world, from London to Sydney with enthusiastic praise from even the most reserved critics. Perhaps Ben Brantley, drama critic for the New York Times, captured the appeal of the show most succinctly when he said, The Compleat Works of Wllm. Shakspr (abridged) embodies one of comedy's most essential impulses: the adolescent urge to take a baseball bat to the culturally revered." And ABC's entertainment critic, Joel Siegel, enthused, "Forsooth! I laughed so hard I'd give it 5 sooths!"
A three-man cast consisting of versatile actors, Eric Owens, Frank Silva and Orin Holland, play all of the roles in "The Compleat Works." The roles range from Shakespeare's famous young lovers Romeo and Juliet, to all of his kings and queens and heroes and villains. The action is fast and furiously funny including swashbuckling sword fights, disco dancing, balcony scrambling, flying ghosts and football games as well as lightening -fast costume and character changes. Eric, Frank and Orin are looking forward to the challenge of reprising their parts and all three actors have gone into rigorous training to build up their stamina.
Eric Owens has appeared in numerous plays in Tuolumne County, including "All in the Timing" at Stage 3 where he played, ironically, a chimpanzee attempting to write Hamlet on a typewriter, and Trotsky's assassin, among other comic roles. Frank Silva has appeared in Stage 3's "The American Plan" and has numerous credits at Sierra Repertory Theatre, including "Oklahoma", "A Christmas Carol", "Once Upon a Mattress" and State Fair. Orin Holland attended the drama program at Columbia College and appeared in CAR productions of "The Wind in the Willows" and "The Hobbit". Now living in Santa Cruz, Orin is delighted to be returning to the boards for the bard.
Stage 3 serves up this hilarious mix of "slapshtick" and Shakespeare beginning on June 16th and playing through July 16th. Tickets for Friday and Saturday night performances and Sunday matinees are $14. Tickets for Thursday night shows on June 29, July 6 and 13 are $10. Seniors tickets are $10 on Sundays, and student tickets are $8 for any performance. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8pm., Sunday matinees at 2pm., and Thursday performances begin at 7pm. Singles Night will take place on Thursday, June 29th, with a singles mixer prior to the show. For reservations and information call (209) 536-1778 or visit our website at www.stage3.org.
A preview to benefit the educational scholarship organization, P.E.O. will take place on Thursday, June 15th at 7pm., with a 6pm wine and hors d'oeuvres mixer. Tickets for the fundraiser are $12 and may be reserved by calling Dani Benincasa at 532-3104.
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