Thursday night, February 8, we saw The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged presented by the Flowertown Players in Summervile, SC. It was a treat equal to any chocolate nut sundae. Like the previous mentioned work of the Elizabethan playwright, we had seen this play before. But there are those things in life worth repeating. This play was presented in the theater annex, or at least I think that is what it is called. We had forgotten about this location. So after arriving at the box office we were directed to go to the corner, around the gas station, and down the alley. After feeling our way through the dark alley we found the small theater behind the theater. There were few people there on opening night. I'm some times leery of opening nights. Maybe the director hasn't gotten all the bugs out of the performance. In this case there were no bugs or they weren't obvious in this fast paced show.
There were only three actors: two women and a man. As you might imagine there were many costume changes for the many characters played. And, of course, costumes were minimal. You must enjoy laughter at this show singularly and corporately. There is great audience participation too. There was one intermission in the show and it takes you by surprise. Two of the actors simply leave the stage, run out of the theater and disappear into the night while the other is left on stage to explain their actions.
We really enjoyed this play. If you enjoy Shakespeare and laughter be sure to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. The play runs through February 17.
