Big "Wllm" style: Players Richard Width,
Eric Hissom and Mark Brown
...Compleat Works" offers an extremely abridged run-through of the Shakespearean catalog delivered as a cross between "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "The Three Stooges." The loosely scripted show provides plenty of room for improvisation, with some of the funniest bits coming from the actors shattering the theatrical fourth wall and involving the audience.... A home-town connection comes in the clever asides that incorporate different aspects of The City Beautiful. References to Cassadaga, Mills Avenue and the Lynx system may be lost on out-of-towners, but the local audience eats them up. Even the Shakespeare Festival itself is on the receiving end of a witty put-down about theaters who bastardize the Bard with conceptual productions, and Hissom throws in a quick reference to his previous starring role in "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus." The show pulls no punches in its broad and bombastic conceptual treatments of Willy's classics, most of which are hilarious and hit their comedic mark perfectly. "Titus Andronicus" is served up as a gruesomely comic cooking show a la Julia Child, and "Othello" takes a decidedly non-PC route and is delivered as a rap number.... | Although the show as written lends itself to... "side-splitting humor," credit must be given to the extremely talented cast that makes it work. Eric Hissom, Mark Brown and Richard Width form an extremely tight ensemble, complementing each other nicely... The infusion of Brown's hilarious characterizations, particularly that of a bouffant-coifed and bespectacled old lady who has smoked one-too-many cigarettes, adds a freshness that will be appreciated by those who witnessed it last year. Once again, both Hissom and Width shine in the same bits that worked so well for them last year. Possessing a sometimes menacing and often paranoiac countenance, Hissom is a scream as he tears up the stage and caustically reads audience members. Width, who once again finds himself donning a multitude of wigs while essaying the majority of the female roles, walks a fine and funny line between thespian pomposity and a sweet vulnerability. The "Laugh-In" influenced set by Bob Phillips, consisting of many small doors that open for brief comic bits, is perfectly suited for the slapstick humor that they allow. Many theatergoers, particularly those who were so fond of last year's production, are naturally curious about the remounting. Is it better? No. Is it different? Yes. Is it just as enjoyable? Compleatly. |
