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The Reduced Shakespeare Company - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) | 
 enlarge | Director: Paul Kafno
Actors: Adam Long, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, Daniel Singer
Studio: Acorn Media
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $15.29
You Save: $9.70 (39%)
New (35) Used (6) from $15.29
Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 2868
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 88
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.5
MPN: DAMP6242D
ISBN: 1569386242
UPC: 054961624294
EAN: 9781569386248
ASIN: B00008US5Q
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Release Date: May 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Ah, Shakespeare. The great bard. You've heard he's a terrific writer. One of these days, you may actually get around to catching one of his plays. Yeah, right. Well, with the help of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, not only can you catch all of Shakespeare's plays at once, but you can have a riotous good time doing so. Three men performing 37 plays in less than two hours may seem a bit of a stretch. But Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor--all members of the Reduced Shakespeare Company--pull it off beautifully with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a slapstick show that summarizes the playwright's stage work (with the sonnets thrown in). Never read Titus Andronicus? No problem; it's presented here as a cooking show. Can't keep your Shakespearean histories straight? Visualize them as a football game. Wondering what exactly is the deal with that guy Othello? Hear his story as a rap song. Hard as it is to imagine, this video of the stage show (originally seen on PBS) is one of the funniest, most clever productions around. Long is hysterical in his roles of Juliet and Ophelia (among others), bringing a hip, edgy feel to the plays while remaining surprisingly true to the stories. Martin and Tichenor will amaze with their acrobatic movements and frequent costume changes, and the three together are a marvel of timing and rhythm. Best of all, whether you know Shakespeare inside out or have yet to read a word of him, The Complete Works will have you in stitches. --Jenny Brown
Description
Life is short. The complete works of Shakespeare are long. To the rescue: THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, the three-man comedy troupe known for fast, funny, physical condensations of real serious stuff. They wrap up the Bard's outsized oeuvre in 90 roller-coaster, rib-tickling minutes. After warming up with a nothing-is-sacred send-up of Romeo and Juliet, they're off, dispensing with the comedies in one fell swoop (because the tragedies are funnier). You decide after you see Othello as a rap song, Titus Andronicus as a cooking program, and the show's unforgettable finale - Hamlet - told with the help of audience members and lascivious sock puppets. Contains material not seen on the PBS broadcast. "Intellectual vaudeville" - The New York Times. "Inspired American spoof merchants...slings and arrows of outrageous comedy" - Daily Telegraph. "This trio of modern Marx brothers will leave you in stitches" - Boston Herald. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: Trade secrets: Two commentaries featuring the stars and the director; Humble beginnings: Rare footage of an early RSC performance; Who are these clowns?: Cast bios; Pop Quiz: Interactive trivia, Say Again?: English Subtitles. WARNING: High-speed hilarity. Not for people with weak hearts or English degrees! Starring Adam Long, Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 A Hilarious and Witty Romp Through Shakespeare's Work December 11, 2008
A hilarious parody, an interesting modernization, and a worthy homage all at once, Adam Long and company have put together a great show in "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." I wasn't lucky enough to see the show live, but the DVD beautifully captured what was a great watch and home and must have been electrifying in person.
Seeing the clever way that each play is tackled is great. They do pretty much straight forward--albeit comical parody--abridged versions of both Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, but the true appeal of the performance, for me, was the middle section where they get truly creative. Titus Andronicus is done as a cooking show. Othello is done as a rap, which was a particularly side-splitting highlight for me. The histories of Shakespeare are cleverly covered by a football game adaptation, where the actors pass the crown of England around to each respective king. All of the takes on the stories, and the interactions by the three self-deprecating characters who are performing the adaptations come together gloriously to make this show both a hilarious romp and a truly witty take on the Bard's work.
The weak point of the show is the bit before and after the off-topic but still captivating intermission. Before and after the intermission, two of the actors get into a lengthy staged argument with the third actor who refuses to perform Hamlet. The bit, which is funny at first, gets tiresome as it is dragged on and on... but the show does regain its footing once the "adaptation" of Hamlet begins. The best scenes are definitely when the Reduced Company involves the audience, which really shows how great this would have been to see in person. It does still very much work as a DVD, however, and will entertain even those who aren't altogether familiar with Shakespeare's works. However, those who love the plays and poetry of the Bard will certainly find a lot of in jokes and fourth-wall breaking winks that hint at how deeply these actors know the material they're parodying.
8/10
 Making Shakespeare Fun November 7, 2008
The Reduced Shakespeare Company's video has been my first and easiest step into the foray of teaching kids Shakespeare. I have taught kids from the ages of 6-14 Shakespeare for the past five years. My method is to have them perform a melodramatically modified version Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids: 3 melodramatic plays for 3 group sizes that I have written and spice it up with even more slapstick. One of the first things that I do is have the kids watch small excerpts from this video. Between the Romeo and Juliet duet and all of the hamming around they do on stage, my kids love it! I also always have handy the Reduced Shakespeare Company's scriptThe Reduced Shakespeare Co. presentsThe Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) for my kids to read as well. It's amazing that as soon as Shakespeare is perceived as fun, the kids can not be stopped from learning more about the Bard! Thank you Reduced Shakespeare Company for making my job easier!
Shakespeare in 90 minutes September 22, 2008
Were you inflicted with Shakespeare in school? Did it bore the heck out of you? If you answered yes (or no) to these questions, then "The complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" is for you.
Take 3 actors, 6 high-top sinkers, a book of Shakespeare's work, and a live audience, mix them all up and BAM! You end up with this video. (you'll understand the reference when you watch it.)
If you want to entertain yourself, your friends and family, and piss off the Shakespeare snobs, buy this video.
Replacing Old Stuff August 22, 2008
Eh, just replaced my ancient VHS copy with the dvd. Always thought it was a funny show. Worth buying.
The RSC will expand your mind! July 3, 2008
The Reduced Theater Company is not to be missed. The DVD of the Complete works of William Shakespeare is second only to being in the audience for a performance. Those who aren't familiar with Shakespeare's plays will have no trouble getting the humor. Caution: you may never be able to read Shakespeare with a straight face after watching this DVD :) If you know the plays, you'll have to watch it multiple times to process all of the inside jokes.
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