The following is from interACT Theatre Productions:
interACT Theatre Productions presents the hilarious spoof The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare (Abridged) this April at the Baird Center in South Orange, NJ. The cast and crew, led by director Christine Gaden of Millburn, NJ, are excited to perform the comedic, fast-paced romp for two weekends starting this Friday, April 1st and closing Sunday, April 10th, for a total of six performances.
Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30PM, and Sunday matinees begin at 4:00PM. Online tickets are $10 general admission, and can be purchased at www.interactproductions.org/completeworks. This is a special Pocket Theatre and Bard at the Baird presentation, and the company plans for this to be the first of an annual Shakespeare tradition.
Just three male actors make up the cast – Erik Gaden, Christopher Clark, and Andrew Usher – so there are many costume changes (and lots of wigs!) between them during the show. Gaden and Clark return to the interACT stage, but this marks an interACT debut for Usher, who makes a performance comeback after taking a hiatus these last few years.
The play, written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, takes you on a wild ride through the Bard’s 37 plays in under two hours, jumping from Romeo & Juliet to Titus Andronicus to Othello and Julius Caesar, and that’s just part of Act One! And in addition to the famous Shakespearean dialogue we’ve heard or read before, this show has improv, rapping, choreography, and audience participation! You’ll have a great time watching this whether you’re a Shakespeare fan or not.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was first performed by Long, Singer, and Winfield in 1987 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and then later played in London for nine years, becoming the city’s longest-running comedy. What keeps it fresh all these years is later is that the script urges productions to change certain lines to keep it current and modern, and to throw in pop culture jokes so the audience stays even more connected with the performers.
Joining director/executive producer Christine Gaden behind the scenes are: Tasha Williams-Arroyo as producer, Zach Pizza as lighting designer, Yolanda Hamilton as stage manager, Monah Yancy as assistant stage manager, Kelley Blessing helping with props, and actor Erik Gaden as set construction manager, props, and fight choreography. This specific production may include strobe lights, stage violence, vulgar language, and other adult content or situations, and is not recommended for audience member under the age of 13.
Founded in 2009, interACT has been bringing theater to the community for seven seasons.
