Fast-paced production made light of Shakespeare’s tragedies
Presented as a lecture by three Californian academics, Jess (Connor Baile), Daniel (Ben Wellicome) and Adam (John Harrison), three actors entertained us to 37 Shakespeare plays and 154 sonnets in one evening.
Ben kicked off the evening by giving an introduction to the audience about the works of The Bard, aided by Conor, and recruiting John to help.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]
Performed at The Talisman Theatre on Monday 25 August until 30 August 2025.
Fast-paced production made light of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Presented as a lecture by three Californian academics, Jess (Connor Bailey), Daniel (Ben Wellicome) and Adam (John Harrison), three actors entertained us to 37 Shakespeare plays and 154 sonnets in one evening. Ben kicked off the evening by giving an introduction to the audience about the works of The Bard, aided by Conor, and recruiting John to help.
The simple stage, bare apart from the flats at the sides and three arches at the rear, avoided any delays because of changes of scenery, and allowed plenty of space for numerous short scenes with a variety of choreographed movements, slapstick and even elements of pantomime. The first play was a comical précis of Romeo and Juliet, but when the trio realised how long it had taken, they recognised the need to step up the pace, which they did. Throughout there were numerous clever engagements with the audience, and James Harris’s astute direction meant the tempo moved along briskly.
Several plays stood out as particularly ingenious. Othello was played as rap, with corresponding gestures, rhythm and dialogue by all the cast. Connor’s and John’s costumes and overly strong Scottish accents in Macbeth were particularly comical. The historical plays, mainly about the kings of England, were played as American football in slow motion as the crown was passed from one king to another and stolen as the wearer was tackled. The comedies were condensed into one quickfire play with plenty of references to Shakespeare’s recurring themes of twins, cross-dressing and mistaken identities.
The script had been updated with clever current references, although the Trump jibe, now seemingly ubiquitous in plays performed in South Warwickshire, is tedious. Most of the second act was taken up with trying to give a shortened rendition of Hamlet, with successful audience interaction. This dragged towards the end but was compensated by, firstly, a one minute version of Hamlet, and then the finale of the play in reverse, which was a highlight of the evening.
Sometimes the diction was hard to hear as the volume of the actors’ projection dropped or they spoke too quickly. However the cast knew their lines flawlessly, a particular accomplishment in this energetic and physical play, and with so much unrelated Shakespearean dialogue.