I had seen bits and pieces of this before, mainly done by competitors in speech and debate tournaments. I found the script funny, but there was always something lacking in the competitors.
When my mom, aunt, and I had the opportunity to see the entire original play in London, I discovered why! Not only was it the obvious; professional actors who actually knew what they were doing, but intense physical comedy. The combination of slapstick galore, eloquent Shakespearean verse, modern twists for humor, and cheap cheesy props made this THE funniest play I have ever seen, and believe me, that's a strong compliment; I'm an avid theatre goer and find many things funny, but this is the creme de la creme! After an hour and a half of non-stop diaphragmatic convulsing over absurd Shakespeare, the show was over and we returned to our hotels, groups, and individual tour. Several of the occurrences always stuck with me; and though this is not uncommon for me, I would think of something that happened in the show that would get me laughing hysterically out of nowhere. A short while after my mother and I returned home, I discovered through the Reduced Shakespeare Company's website that the video was available and jumped for joy! At Christmas, one of my many wonderful gifts happened to be this video! As we see, it stars Adam Long, one of the 3 writers of the show, who continues to perform it in London last I knew, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor. All three hilarious in their own ways. Although this is definitely better seen live, as most shows are, I have not met a single person who didn't laugh hysterically at SOME point while watching the video. This is one of my favorite videos in my collection, right up there with my Monty Python shrine! On a semi-related note, anyone interested may want to check out the actual script to "The Complete Works. . ." It's available through the Reduced Shakespeare Company's website, and I'm sure through certain booksellers, or Amazon, or even a public library somewhere. The script is mostly what is on the video, but contains many hilarious footnotes, pictures, and several introductions that are definitely worth it! 10 stars!
