Bombarded by the Bard

Theater on Broadway gives frantic new life to classics

By Pamela Thompson
Special to The Metropolitan

Are you looking for your 15 seconds of fame?

The Compleat Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) may be your answer.

The program may only feature three actors on stage, but this show thrives on audience participation. Whether you are being vomited on or cast as Opheliaâs inner voice, come prepared to be in the spotlight. And donât think that youâre safe hiding in the back, either. Itâs a small theater, and this cast has a lot of energy.
They have to.

Matt Miller, David Russel and Rob Trentadue run a hit-and-miss marathon in high-top Converse through all 37 of Shakespeareâs plays. They focus mainly on the tragedies because the ãcomedies arenât really half as funny as the tragedies.ä

Unfortunately the comedies are rushed through so quickly, their wit is missed. Laughter thinned out a little when all 16 comedies were put together into a makeshift five-act play.

References to the comedies could not stand alone and werenât funny unless one knows the comedies. This is the only part of the show that leaves the Shakespeare laymen behind, but the references are made so quickly that even those who do know Shakespeare are left scratching their heads like lice-infested Renaissance groundlings.

The rest of the show is truly devoted to making Shakespeare more understandable and enjoyable to the spectators. At times it may seem that the script makes a mockery of the Bardâs work, but had he been there to see the spectacle, he, too, would have chuckled out right.

This show not only highlights how timeless his sense of humor is but also how classless. Shakespeare should not be reserved for the literary genius but should also be shared with anyone with a healthy sense of humor.

As for Miller, Russel and Trentadue, they are brilliant. For as long as the show has been running, you would think theyâd be bored with it. Instead they appear as young school boys, lost in their role-playing imaginations.

It is hard to believe they are not responsible for the script itself. The language seems to mold around the performers as though it is their own creation, especially Russel.

Refusing to do ãvomitless Shakespeareä and given the honor of playing the role of all the tragic (often hysterical) women, he proudly sports various bright red wigs. Running, vomiting, spitting, screaming and playing with the audience, he demands their focus.

This show is worth the agony of trying to find the tiny Theatre On Broadway. If you get lost, donât get discouraged. It is worth the trouble to see these players give a fresh and modern perspective on Shakespeare.

And if finding the theater isnât enough of an adventure for you, try sitting in the front row.

Compleat Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) is playing at Theatre on Broadway at Broadway and Ellsworth Street through April 4. Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30. Tickets are $10 to $18. For reservations, call 777-3292.