If Cliff’s Notes were the only thing that got you through English 101, then the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s side-splitting production, All the Great Books (Abridged), from June 21 to July 20, is just the ticket. With razor-sharp wit, wacky costume changes and high-energy zaniness, this three-man act takes you on a rollicking romp through 89 beloved works—in under an hour and a half.
These “bad boys of abridgement” make their South Bay debut at the San Jose Rep this month with a show that some have described as Monty Python meets English class. From Confucius and Homer, to Tennyson and Swift, to Proust and Thoreau, no work is too sacred to poke fun at.
The RSC, which has been “reducing expectations since 1981,” started out as a pass-the-hat novelty act at Renaissance faires near Los Angeles and San Francisco, and became an international sensation with its first production, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). It ran for 10 years at London’s Criterion Theater, making it the city’s longest-running comedy.
Other productions followed, including The Complete History of America (Abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged). The RSC has also been featured on PBS and NPR, and has sold out box offices around the world.
As popular as the RSC is, run—don’t walk—to the San Jose Rep to secure your ticket. The show may be short on literary analysis, but it’s definitely long on laughs. —Stephanie Soong
Where:
San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose
Hours:
June shows: Wed-Fri, 8pm (additional show at 11am on June 25); Sat, 3pm and 8pm (no 3pm show on June 21); Sun, 2pm & 7pm (no 7pm show on June 29).
July shows: Tues, 7:30pm; Wed-Fri, 8pm (no show on July 4); Sat, 3pm & 8pm; Sun, 2pm.
Info:
(408)367-7255
www.sjrep.org
