By Mikayla van Loon
Shakespeare is preparing to come to town, but perhaps not in the traditional way one might think, as Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company (LATC) presents ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] (Again]’.
As director Katie-Jane Amey said, it’s “Shakespeare lite”, giving the centuries old storyteller a new audience to share his remarkable, and sometimes drab, works with.
“There’s the basic premise of using Shakespeare’s plots, characters and language in the show – but as more of a mash-up,” she said.
“On average, Shakespeare’s plays have 30-plus characters, and have a reputation for being overly long – so the concept of three actors mashing all 37 plays together into 97 minutes has much comedic potential.”
First written in 1981 by the The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Amey said while the script has been set, there was some room to move, improvise and “create our own interpretations”.
As purely a comedy, reviews have raved about the hilariousness of the play, its fast-pacing and talent.
Even for those who have never been a Shakespeare fan, a reviewer for The Today Show said “If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!”
“There’s something for everyone in this – loads of colour and spectacle, physical comedy, amazing speeches, action sequences,” Amey said.
Taking on the creative challenge of pulling this show together with the three talented actors Justin Stephens, Ian Frost and Tom Fitzgerald, Amey said it was an incredibly collaborative experience.
“The actors have had loads of involvement in creating our version of each story, and finding interesting and creative ways to change things up,” she said.
“We have a fabulous crew who are key to the lightning quick costume and prop changes.
“It’s also super fun to have a show where almost anything goes – the more ridiculous the idea, the more likely it is to end up in the show.”
Promising to give an evening of laughter like never before and a night to remember the Shakespearean-esque performance is coming to life from Thursday 7 September until Saturday 23 September.
As the second last performance for the year, LATC is holding nothing back with this comical, joyful and wild ride of a play.
To book tickets, go to www.lilydaleatc.com/season-2023 or call 9735 1777.
