The Genesian Theatre Company regularly include a Shakespeare play within their yearly program and their productions are always very respectful and keep true to the often sombre tones of the Bard’s great works.

With their current production the Company has decided on a different approach, declaring its time to have some fun with the Bard. They do so by way  of a revival of the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s production of  THE COMPLETE WORKS OF  WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED, written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.

This show premiered on London’s West End back in 1987 and some 28 years later has lost none of its comic sparkle and brilliance.

The  audience was often in stitches as classic scenes from the Shakespeare play were played out as outrageously as possible. One will never see the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet  in quite the same way again…

Nor, for that case, Ophelia’s classic mad scene after Hamlet has completely lost the plot and told his lovely lady to quickly get to a nunnery. The scene sees the cast bring a young woman from the audience on to the stage to have a turn playing the distressed Ophelia.

Jessica Gray, Jamie Collette and Barry Nielsen comprise the talented, merry band of players who entertain the audience for barely over ninety minutes.

There is just one scene where the philosophical Shakespeare is allowed to come out undiluted/unabridged and that is the great ‘What a piece of work of man’ speech which Barry Nielsen  delivers superbly.

Tom Massey  guides the action well as well looking after the set, mainly a series of props, Timothy M Carter ensures the trio, in their various guises, are well lit, and Susan Carveth has  found some classic period  costumes for the cast to frolic around in.

Catch this show before, like a brief candle, it goes out on Saturday 8th August. The Genesian Theatre is located at  420 Kent Street, city.