A mix of vomit, cross-dressing, football, rap and much more bring all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays to life as the Lipscomb Theatre Department puts on The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged).
“That’s just act one,” director Nat McIntyre said. “By enjoying the insane ridiculousness of this show, I think it honors Shakespeare much more than many straight-up Shakespeare productions.”
The show follows five actors who weave their way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies in 97 minutes. The actors work together as narrators and characters to tell each Shakespearean story.
Featured in the show are freshman theatre majors Jacob Friend and Anna Elizabeth Micksch, junior theatre majors Ann-Marie Bagge and Nelson Tilley and senior acting major Andrew Johnson.
McIntyre has worked with the actors to connect the words of the show to the students on campus.
“Some of the jokes have been updated just for the university,” Johnson said. “We’ve been updating the show to help it feel more topical.”
Compleat Wrks was London’s longest-running comedy and spent nine years headlining at London’s West End. The show has since been performed several times in the United States and is a first for Lipscomb.
“It’s a really good show for Lipscomb because it’s different than what we normally do,” Johnson said. “It’s extremely light-hearted and up-to-date. It’ll make people laugh for sure.”
The play will be performed Sept. 18-20 and 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. in Flatt Amphitheater.
Tickets for The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) can be purchased either in the box office on campus, online, or at the door. Cost is $17 for individuals, $12 for faculty and staff and $5 for students.
Several free tickets are available through Student Government Association and can be picked up in Bennett Student Center during the week.
Photo courtesy of the Lipscomb Theatre Department.