Play promises hysterical jaunt through Shakespeare's works
Emily Hart
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News
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In just 97 minutes, all 37 of the Bard's plays will be performed by senior musical theatre major Kathryn Francisco and Samford graduates Rush Brunson and John Cooley. "Complete Works" is a production of the Praxis Project, a non-profit group started by theatre professor Mark Castle.
The Praxis Project is a recent initiative created to link Samford students, faculty and alumni together in a non-profit theatre company to perform in Birmingham.
"Students often spend a year or two in the area after graduation, as they save and prepare to move to a theatre or film center or go on to graduate school," Castle said.
"Praxis is a way to bridge that gap with continued professional experience."
"Complete Works" became a reality as members of the Praxis Project, looking to develop their careers, urged Castle to take on the piece. Originally written by three men in the Reduced Shakespeare Company in London, "Complete Works" got its start at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987.
The original cast wrote it and set a precedent for the production: actors in "Complete Works" use their own names.
"Names are only changed when taking on the role of a Shakespeare character," Francisco said.
Castle said how the play takes advantage of preconceptions concerning this playwright.
"It's a fond, but very irreverent look at Shakespeare. His words get quoted, mangled, rearranged, interpreted and misinterpreted in an improv-comedy style," Castle said.
The parody is an cheeky, fast-paced romp through the Bard's plays. "Complete Works" was London's longest-running comedy, showing for 10 years at the Criterion Theatre. It was praised by the Los Angeles Times as "wildly funny" and by the Montreal Gazette as "the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime." "Complete Works" also holds a unique record: it set the world record for the shortest "Hamlet" performance, clocking in at 43 seconds.
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