What do you get when you have three men performing all 37 plays of one of history’s most well-known playwrights in under two hours? Utter chaos and loads of hilarity, that’s what.
I was unsure what to expect when taking my seat Sunday afternoon at the Stillwell Theater at Texarkana College to watch Texarkana Repertory Company’s performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]. And, after sitting through a ten-minute introduction, I was even less sure of what to expect.
I honestly kept wondering how on earth they were going to accomplish such an incredible feat.
But I can definitely say, any expectations I could have thought of were deliciously exceeded.
Austin Alford, Gabe Lohse and Colin Perry took on the task of bringing to life the beloved bard’s tales of tragedy, comedy and history. The trio, playing parodies of themselves as stage actors, took on all of the roles. And in true Shakespearean-style, genders were bent, blood was shed and men wore colorful tights. But I don’t think their choice of footwear (all three wore Converse to match their tights) was exactly in fashion at the time.
The first of Shakespeare’s works brought to life is the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. Alford and Lohse play the titular roles and a few other key characters while Perry primarily takes on the role of the narrator. After twelve laugh-inducing moments, it ends with the deaths of the two star-crossed lovers.
“We’ve got to speed things up … At this rate, we’ll be here for seven and a half hours,” Alford says to a triumphant Perry.
Titus Andronicus becomes a French cooking show, the histories become a football game in which you get to witness King Henry VI literally get cut into three parts, the famed “Scottish Play” (Macbeth) is performed in kilts and horrible Scottish accents and 16 plays get condensed into one very confusing script. All culminating with the finale, Hamlet.
While the words in the script are important, it is the three actors who really bring the production to life. I’m sure other actors could have been cast and it would have been a great production, but I felt this script was written for these three. Their engagement with the audience was stellar. Audience participation made those in attendance the uncredited fourth cast member of the production.
Not to mention, several of the scenes brought to mind other productions performed by TexRep. The death scenes of Juliet and Ophelia likened to The Play That Goes Wrong and the French chef seemed a little reminiscent of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
While it was hard to pick a stand-out, I have to hand the crown to Lohse. From the moment he walked out on stage in a dress and wig with his groomed beard to play Juliet, I felt he would steal the show. And his MANY death scenes do just that.
TexRep has one more weekend of this production and I would highly recommend spending the $15 per ticket and two hours of your life to see it. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. You will not be disappointed.
SPOILER ALERT: be cautious of sitting in the first rows of the center section at stage right. Audience participation may be a little more “participative” than expected.
Photo Credit: Shawn Jones/Focal Point Productions of Texarkana
