North Central stages much-abridged Shakespeare
Being a woman is never easy. Especially if you're a man.
And even more especially if you're a man who must convincingly play the part of all of Shakespeare's women in one short production.
It's the chaos and the improv that make “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” hilarious and unlike any Shakespeare ever performed before at North Central College, cast members say.
The show opens at 7:30 p.m. today and runs through Saturday, Jan. 15, in the Madden Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, as part of the school's series of productions led by student directors.
There's no room for dignity in a show that manages to poke fun at all of William Shakespeare's 37 plays and sonnets in a two-hour setting.
“I'm decked out in a lot of the pink dresses and so, so many wigs,” said junior Mark Campbell, of Glen Ellyn, who plays female characters in the show. “I'm giving up on the idea of having dignity in the show and I'm just going to goof around with it and have fun with it.”
Campbell and two other actors play the role of everybody in the skits that mock Othello in a rap song, as well as other historical stories that play out like a football game with a crown as the ball.
Many aspects of the show scoff at the principles of traditional theater, production members say.
“So many other shows and so many other directors are strict about staying precisely to the text of the script,” Campbell said. “The creators of this show didn't want us to stay precisely on script.”
Nor do they want a perfect accent — they'll take a spin off the Scottish accent used in Shrek.
And they don't need seamless, behind-the-scenes costume changes. Crooked wigs and crumpled clothing — it's all part of the humor.
The show demolishes that invisible fourth wall that typically exists between actors and the audience, said director Curtis Stelter, a senior majoring in theater from Lemont.
It's common for actors to stop and ask audience members a question or for actors to roam among the audience — even asking for audience participation at times.
“They'll stop and say to the audience, ‘Well, what do you think about that,' or ‘Hey, do you think this scenario (stinks) for Shakespeare's writing?'” Stelter said. “Everybody is running around and hollering and yelling out lines. There's really never a dull moment.”
Because so much of the show is based on spur of the moment lines and acting, no two shows will be alike.
“If I tell them I loved that one bit, it almost never happens again,” Stelter said. “I think everyone should really, really enjoy it.”
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors.
For details, call (630) 637-7469 or northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.
If you go
<b>What: </b>“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)”
<b>When:</b> 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, Jan. 13-15
<b>Where:</b> North Central College's Madden Theatre at the Wentz Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
<b>Cost:</b> $5 adults, $3 students and seniors
<b>Info: </b>(630) 637-7469 or northcentralcollege.edu/showtix