The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Review

Performing all of Shakespeare's works in a two-hour evening is a tall order. The 'other' RSC (Reduced Shakespeare Company) has been doing it successfully for decades, of course, but this week the task falls to HumDrum, in an evening which is anything but.

James George, Darren Gilmore and Mike Palmer, under the disciplined direction of Sam Sampson, immediately won us over with their charisma and energy, orchestrating the chaos with glee, switching mischievously between scripted gags and their own ad libs and managing the audience participation (you have been warned!) with confidence. I never had the sense that the cast was having more fun that the audience, which is a real danger with this work.

Through the irreverence and slapstick, each actor managed to bring his own personality to the performance, giving us the feeling that we were amongst friends and in on the joke. Inspired comic moments peppered the show and the trio was slick and sharp - essential ingredients with this material.

The sequence where the cast tackle all the comedies didn't quite take flight, the writing is occasionally dated and the Americanisms didn't sound quite right in Havant, but these are small quibbles in an otherwise entertaining evening.

Nathan Chapman - The News