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Life & Arts

Students race through 'Works' successfully

By James Davis
The Daily Cougar

If ever a play were a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) would be the one. Its authors -- Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield -- have created an Elizabethan casserole, blending all 38 of Shakespeare's plays senselessly together, applying a liberal amount of corn and serving the result to a hungry audience. And who doesn't like casserole?

Albeit highly entertaining and sometimes naive, the play is by no means simple to produce. It's the theatrical equivalent of a marathon, requiring the three actors (Caleb George, Spencer Kelpe and Timmy Wood) to dash on and offstage, disrobe and change costumes dozens of times over the course of two hours. This is what makes the UH School of Theatre's student production of the play such a remarkable achievement. For four straight days, the cast and crew have delivered this tour de force without so much as breaking a sweat, with the final performance showing tonight at 8 p.m. for free. 

Every so often, the actors' pranks and pratfalls become so animated that they overwhelm some of the scripts subtler humor. When the hubbub slows down a bit, though, the actors deliver the authors' dry humor with just the right twist. What's more exceptional, the actors manage to keep a straight face the entire time. Not so much as a smirk is visible even as Wood dry heaves on his third audience member. 

The production staff has wisely chosen the Jose Quintero Lab Theatre as its venue. Its theater-in-the-round layout allows the audience to view each other's reactions. Laughter is contagious, and even the iciest spoilsport cannot help but chuckle when he sees the entire left side of the audience in stitches. In a tribute to how Shakespeare's plays were originally exhibited, scenic designer Andrea Swan has included a "groundlings" section of the audience. Blocked off by traffic cones and orange plastic mesh, the pit cleverly fits in with the play's street atmosphere with undertones of the Globe Theatre.

Overall, the play's tone is conveyed with care and precision. It's clear the cast and crew have an underlying appreciation of the original Shakespeare, but are more than willing to mangle the Bard's work beyond recognition. Every aspect of this production drips with cheese, from the hard rock rendition of "Green Sleeves" to the ratty blonde wigs, and this is just how the authors intended it.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)

Jose Quintero Theatre Lab in the Wortham Theatre

Playing: Through today

Verdict: UH's Complete Works mixes class and crass into an irresistible medley.
 

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