Long Live the Bard!

By Amy Stow

You know where you are with the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Men dressed as women, men dressed as ghosts, men wearing kilts, men dying all over the place, men putting other men in pies. All as it was in Shakespeare’s day. And still as side-splittingly unpredictable as the Bard (may have) intended. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at the Pleasance Courtyard has continued in its tradition of (slightly) cultured mayhem, creating yet another family-friendly, ultimately silly show with a nod to ol’ Shakey-P on occasion.

There is audience interaction, especially for those on the front row, and a smorgasbord of imaginative ways in which to present some of Shakespeare’s classics. Getting through the histories, often some of Shakespeare’s dullest (be honest now) works, through the use of an American football match in a game of pass-the-crown was particularly inventive. However, I did rather take umbrage to rapping the story of Othello; whilst I see that it’s difficult for three white actors to play the iconic Moor, I wasn’t sure if some cringe-inducing gangsta rap was a bit of a cop out.

Whilst all the actors are evidently accomplished and have been with the company for a while, it is Matthew Pearson who steals the show for me. Beginning with his initial faux pas of confusing Shakespeare’s historical achievements with those of Hitler (naturally), he bounds about the stage, piling false boobs into his top, donning wigs, continually barfing on the audience and producing eons of entertainment.

This show is, in general, accessible, with the old groansome jokes involving willies and slapstick humour, some casual Scottish racism (watch out Edinburgh!) and a brilliant Punch-and-Judy style puppet show to depict some of Hamlet. Despite this, I was slightly perturbed by the amount of in-house arguing between the three actors. Whilst this is all part of the show, it got a little tiresome, and when one actor pointed out, ‘I think we’ve lost the audience’, I couldn’t help but agree.

Still, the Reduced Shakespeare Company: Complete Works of William Shakespeare continues to be a must-see show at the fringe, and this show certainly does little to dampen that reputation.

★★★★

Reduced Shakespeare Company: Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (@reduced)

Pleasance Courtyard, 16:00 (1 hour)

Until 25th August

@PostScriptJour

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