The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Blackout Productions—Onstage at Pantages

It had its moments of course but when it dragged it really dragged. For a show to be an hour and 45 minutes long it needs to have a strong premise and this show, while it had the premise, it lacked the execution. I found that what they did for comedic effect was less humorous than when they went completely off script. They were strong actors but the show felt so much longer than an hour and 45 minutes. It felt forced in parts and only really flowed when the unexpected happened. Several of the jokes they used were funny, but only because I was familiar with the plays they were parodying unfortunately. The concept is sound of course, dozens of troupes have done this, and most of them have done it better.

Arden Pruden