Why So Many?

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) Productions

by K. Ross Hoffman

Cobbled together from street-corner and Renaissance-fair Shakespeare performances by three California actors, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) first appeared in its entirety in 1987. In today's absentminded culture, it seems more apt than ever. The play rips through Shakespeare's 37 plays in 97 minutes, with plenty of time for pop culture references and improv along the way.

So what does it say about the Delaware Valley that three separate companies are currently performing TCWOWSA, with three more scheduled this spring? That we love Hamlet, I suppose. Or that our attention spans are so short that we don't mind seeing three versions of the same show — Theatre Horizon, Collaborative Acts Studio and the Chapel Street Players are all featuring the usual burlesque, three-man routine. None of them are doing anything out of the ordinary, like casting a woman in a traditional male role, as the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre will be doing for their spring show.

Of course, TCWOWSA's fluid script allows for enough spontaneity and improvisation that each performance will differ every night. And besides, watching Titus Andronicus reenacted as a cooking show never gets old.

1 Theatre Horizon, through Sun., Feb. 15, $25-$28, Centre Theater, 208 De Kalb St., Norristown, 610-283-2230, theatrehorizon.org.

2 Collaborative Acts Studio, through Sun., Feb. 21, $16, Fusion Academy of Performing Arts, 1931 Olney Ave., Suite 10, Cherry Hill, N.J., 856-417-6741, webtrec.com/collaborativeactstudio.

3 Chapel Street Players, through March 7, $15, 27 N. Chapel St. Newark, Del., 302-368-2248, chapelstreetplayers.org.