The Milwaukee Rep presents the RSC

The California-based Reduced Shakespeare Company has had quite a bit of success with one of its first showsThe Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged.) What started out as ind of high-end sketch comedy has become a huge stage phenomenon. Regional productions have popped up all over the place in the many years since it debuted. A recent Soulstice Theatre production was followed by a staging at In Tandem’s Tenth Street Theatre by The World’s Stage Theatre Company. The latest local staging is hitting the stage of the Stackner Cabaret thanks to a production being staged by the Milwaukee Rep. 

The Milwaukee Rep’s staging of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare stars Joe Dempsey, Ernie Gonzalez and Milwaukee Rep resident actor Gerard Neugent.  Sean Graney directs. Graney’s last work with the Rep was in the mainstage production of Yankee Tavern.

The concept is pretty simple . . . get through some representation of all of Shakespeare’s works in a single show. Various elements of various Shakespeare shows play out in various different ways. Some of them are funny. Some of them have to be performed well by the cast in order to be funny. And some are just bad. Seeing a show like this in the relative intimacy of the Milwaukee Rep’s cabaret should be kind of fun . . . particularly with beer. It’s that kind of show . . .

The Milwaukee Rep’s staging of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) runs January 13^th through March 11^th at the Rep’s Stackner Cabaret. For ticket reservations, call 414-224-9490.