An ALTERNATE Shakespeare Experience!

William Shakespeare is popularly acknowledged as the greatest English playwright; many would argue that he is one of the world’s greatest dramatists, even though he died more than 450 years ago. It is alleged that Shakespeare wrote over 35 plays in his lifetime. Since then they have been sold and performed in numerous countries - his plays have been translated into almost as many languages as the Bible.

Whilst students of English literature often complain about the difficulties in understanding plays written in 17th century English, modern stage productions manage to convey an understanding of the stories through clever staging, costumes and other various techniques.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company from California, USA have been entertaining audiences since 1981 with their unique style and presentation. Their approach to the plays is definitely comic; even the Tragedies like Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are treated in a humorous manner. They also class Shakespeare’s Romances (A Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing) amongst his

Comedies owing to the ‘unbelievable plot-lines and juvenile themes’. In fact, the name ‘Reduced Shakespeare Company’ (RSC) has been taken from the ‘real’ RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) which is the most prestigious Shakespeare company in England.

William Shakespeare himself would be surprised (and possibly angry) at the way his plays have been adapted for performance by a company of only 3 ‘amateur’ actors. However, I feel that these productions convey plot-lines and the messages behind the stories equally as clearly as the original scripts. The show, performed by 3 young male Americans, has the advantage of appealing to audiences who would never normally go and see a Shakespeare production out of choice (me!). Their style of humour, which is sometimes coarse, appeals more to the younger generation and makes the whole show hugely entertaining. You get the impression that the actors see their show as a way to remove the formality of a more traditional Shakespeare adaptation; they actually issue a warning before the show that scholars of English literature would be best leaving the theatre as their show is not to be taken too seriously.

The premise of the show is that the 3 of them will be able to produce all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in just 97 minutes (an impossible task, you may think!) but seeing is definitely believing. They recast Othello as a rap star, and present the plot of ‘Macbeth’ in a version that they repeat faster and faster, and eventually backwards. They involve the audience throughout, using the whole theatre.

In addition to offering abridged versions of Shakespeare’s plays, the Reduced Shakespeare company have also used the same techniques to present the Complete works of the Bible, The Complete History of America, and (in their Millennium Musical) an attempt at the Complete history of the World! If you ever hear that the Reduced Shakespeare Company is in town, book your tickets immediately – it’s theatre (to be enjoyed in any language) like you’ve never seen it before!

Charlotte Buckley, Bishop Heber High School, Malpas.

Please get in touch with me at snuffkin_b@hotmail.com