"THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (ABRIDGED)," Salt Lake Shakespeare, Babcock Stage, Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, through Aug. 17 (581-7100); running time 90 minutes (one intermission).
Salt Lake Shakespeare's opening-night performance of "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" Thursday was both comical and entertaining, including astute references to both classic literature and modern movies.
While at times the performance seemed no more impressive than an off-the-cuff improv show, Whit Hertford, Joel Stanley Huff and Jay Perry — decked out in black tights, high tops and puffy "Shakespeare shorts" — successfully roused the audience as they performed all of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets at high-speed.
The show started with an introduction of William Shakespeare that quickly went astray (see any biography of Hitler for details). Hertford then waltzed onto the stage and acted the part of narrator, as Huff and Perry performed a truncated version of "Romeo and Juliet."
The performance became interesting when an effeminately dressed Romeo (Perry) sought a kiss from a much taller, masculine Juliet (Huff).
"I don't want to kiss you, man!" said Perry, breaking from character as Juliet. Suffice it to say, he got his kiss.
The next performances were "Titus Andronicus" as a cooking show, "Othello" as a rap and Shakespeare's 16 comedies condensed into one work.
"We call this 'Love Boat goes to Verona,' " said Hertford, as he, Huff and Perry detailed the escapades of "women dressed as pages who meet shrews in the forest on a Midsummer's night." Be warned, crude references and adult humor is used, albeit sparingly, during this scene.
The highlight of the show came after intermission as Hertford, Huff and Perry performed their own version of "Hamlet." At one point, a member of the audience was invited to portray Ophelia, as other audience members were directed by Hertford and Huff to quote lines and phrases as Ophelia's "Id, Ego and Superego."
"Maybe, maybe not," chanted three rows of the audience as they represented Ophelia's Id. "Get thee to a nunnery" was another phrase the audience shouted.
After digressing into Freudian analysis, Hertford, Huff and Perry got back on track as they performed "Hamlet's" "play within a play" with sock puppets, and the final scene where Hamlet (Perry), Laertes (Hertford) and the kind/queen (Huff) all die.
They then performed it backward.
While Salt Lake Shakespeare's "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" was nothing spectacular, Hertford, Huff and Perry gave admirable performances as they interacted with audience members and wooed them to their feet.
Sensitivity rating: Some risque language.
E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com