Theater review: Schabach shines in shortened 'Shkspr'

By David Burke | Sunday, July 20, 2008

Here’s the abridged review of “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged),” continuing through this weekend at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre:

It’s the funniest theater you’ll see this summer — maybe this year.

Now, the unabridged version:

The only non-musical in the Clinton Showboat season, it’s performed by a trio calling itself the Reduced Shakespeare Company, which takes the Bard’s work and boils it down with humorous results.

“Romeo and Juliet,” for example, is done in a style that melds professional wrestling, a kung fu movie and the Three Stooges.

“Titus Andronicus,” which follows, is played as a TV cooking show, and “Othello” is done as a rap.

And the play-by-play of a football game tackles all of Shakespeare’s historical plays.

“MacBeth” is performed with thick Scottish accents, and the entire second act is devoted to telling “Hamlet,” complete with reluctant cast members, audience participation and high speed re-creations of the tale at the end of the act.

The trio performing the works takes it on at breakneck speed, making an exit and returning as a different character (and sometimes a different gender) with ease. The “encores” of “Hamlet” — one done for speed, one done in reverse — are technical marvels.

Joshua Estrada, Craig A. Miller and Ryan Schabach successfully take on the challenge, but Schabach — a professional actor from Houston — stands out.

The Shakespearean actor approaches the roles as a combination frat boy, stoner and surfer dude, with a fresh read and fantastic results.

Too often, unfortunately, Estrada and Miller end up playing the straight men to their colleague. I don’t know if the script is written that way — it’s been produced a handful of times in this area, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it — yet as funny as their performances are, they often pale in comparison.

Attending the opening night, seemingly half of the audience was other members of the company, where Miller is the artistic director. There’s a certain joy and giddiness you get when you see your boss in tights and acting goofy, and those in the audience thrived on that.

If there’s anything that “Abridged” is missing, it’s ownership. It was written in 1987, and although some of the lines were updated, others felt far too dated. (I realized that night that there’s no reason the punchline “Elvis Presley” will make me laugh.)

There are some local and topical references — the names of some current Chicago Cubs are dropped, and hearing Miller’s character’s credentials include having “an honorary associate’s degree from Clinton Community College” still makes me smile.

I just wish there would have been a few more of those times. In a day and age when humor and parody can be found instantly across the Internet, I was looking for something even more than the plentiful laughs that are already there.

IF YOU GO

What: “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)”

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, June 28; 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 29

Where: Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, Clinton, Iowa

How much: $18 for adults, $12 for ages 13-18 years and $9 for children 12 years and younger

Information: Call (563) 242-6760 or ClintonShowboat.org on the Web

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.