The tragedies are funnier...

Monday Blues were banished this week with us watching a performance of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), performed by the THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY. The show had come to town and being one of London's longest running shows, we wanted to see if it lived up to its reputation. And boy, did it! This was easily one of the funniest shows I've ever seen!

The RSC condensed the works of the Bard into a laugh-a-riot that had many audience members wiping away tears. Extremely witty and well acted, the three-man comedy troupe wrap up the Bard's outsized oeuvre in 97 roller-coaster, rib-tickling minutes. After warming up with a nothing-is-sacred Romeo and Juliet, they're off, dispensing with the comedies in one fell swoop (because the tragedies are funnier, they say). You decide after you see Othello as a rap song, Titus Andronicus as a cooking program, and the show's finale - Hamlet - told with the help of audience members and lascivious sock puppets.

Extremely funny, this show is highly recommended for people who know don't know much of Shakespeare (or who know a lot) and can laugh with joy at one of the greatest writers of the English language.