Un-Taming of the Shrewd [The Reduced Shakespeare Company]

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

It was in an AP English Literature and Composition class at Oxford Academy that I first heard of The Reduced Shakespeare Company, RSC (not to be confused with the Royal Shakespeare Company). We were reading Hamlet and subsequently watched RSC do an abridged version from an online copy of their Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). Needless to say, hilarity ensued and I aspired to see them live--eventually. Because live theater is, well, awesome.

All the Great Works (abridged)

Six years later, I finally saw RSC live at the Laguna Beach Playhouse when they did "All the Great Works [abridged]," a fast-paced dive through nearly one hundred different great works of literature. This show is full of wit and brevity and... class. *snicker*

All the Great Works is structured in an English class whose syllabus covers everything from The Fountainhead to Frankenstein to The Grapes of Wrath to Green Eggs and Ham to War and Peace. I haven't read that last one but apparently I don't need to now. Having read less than half the books in the syllabus (36% to be exact), I still found it funny the entire time. I didn't catch all of the references which makes me realize just how well-read I'm actually not. That's fine by me given the limited spare time I have to improve my literacy. (Admittedly, the average age of the audience members was markedly higher than the ages of Sofia, Noah, Jasper, or I.. perhaps old people have had more time to read...)

And hey, I got an A+ and their autographs on my diploma! :D

It helps that many other references to works such as The Scarlet Letter, Jaws, and The Interpretation of Dreams have been popularized or referenced in a modern form of media that I've encountered. This helped me understand at least half of the book references from the syllabus. I state the obvious here but seminal literature is great because they've permeated throughout society despite the passage of time.

You really don't need to be an English major to enjoy RSC's All the Great Works. They incorporate as much intelligent comedy as they do slapstick. I enjoyed it and was ecstatic to finally see them live. If you appreciate literacy and paid attention in your mandatory high school and college English classes, this will be fun and completely worth it! And maybe you'll feel extremely pretentious buying tickets to a live theater comedy show about books and smart things. *wink*

The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)

The second time I saw RSC was last Saturday (12.13.2014) in "The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)" at the Marin Theater Company.

Again, there were a lot of old people (I didn't notice this until my date pointed it out). Perhaps people in my age demographic don't actively seek out live theater as a form of entertainment. It competes with the likes of television (Netflix) and cinema. I will, despite this, always advocate musicals, theater, and live performance because they are so mentally and sensationally engaging.

Reed, Dom, and Austin let us have a picture with them <3
Instagram-worthy.

Our experience this time was a prime example of that: Marvin and I had the fortuitous misfortune of arriving late to the theater. As is protocol, we had to be guided in at selected 'breaks' to minimize disruption. Disruption is difficult to avoid, however, and since the two of us had front row seats, it was practically inevitable.

"In Chapter 2 of the Art of Comedy.... [pause] two people walk into the front row LATE."

For the next five minutes, the actors heckled us with questions and reproach. We were obliged to introduce ourselves and shake hands with them. We were briefed on what we had missed. And we explained we were late because we were at a "Thanksmas" (Thanksgiving + Christmas Friendsgiving dinner), an explanation met with confusion and chiding. Boy, did the guy sitting next to us have a grand old time laughing at our demarcation.

From then on, our first-name basis relationship with Austin, Reed, and Dom primed us in the precarious position of "running gag" material. Yes, I reveled in the attention. Rewarded for our disregard for punctuality? I think yes. Though we did almost get a pie to the face....

As for the show itself: the framework was extremely clever. RSC guided the audience through a book paralleled to Sun Tzu's "Art of War" (for violence and comedy are often analogous, if not the same) and parodied religious leaders with Rambozo the Clown, the apparent messiah and author of the 'Art of Comedy.' Cultural and historical references are made--but none too out there for it to fall flat if you miss them. The experience is completely educational! It gave me a crudely wholesome appreciation for comedy, laughter, and even music. I'm often impressed with the chemistry these guys have with each other. Even when they are improvising, they will often have synchronous reactions that appears deceptively untamed. They have intelligent dynamic and are adept at all forms of comedy.

A worthwhile two hours of my life, if I do say so myself. I'd say so even if we had been punctual.