Comp. Wrks. Wm. Shkspr. (Abr.)

Recycling, PBS, advanced degrees in Pre-Colombian, Post-Magna-Carta literature, hummus, bio-responsibility and Shakespeare have always been enticing to the elite academe. You savvy Phans know to whom The Phantom refers: the suave, sophisticated hyper-intelligentsia. Those who restore their 100-year-old home with authentic reproductions of bathroom faucets purchased at a huge mark-up from Restoration Hardware catalogs. (Hey! Put that in the paper recycling bin when you are finished, please.) It’s a world rarely glimpsed in the All-Americun, Fightin’ Texas Aggie-dom, Conservative, by God, and “don’t yu fergit it” Brazos Valley. (It comprised only 1.9% of the Valley in 2005, according to polls done by Touchstone staffers.) [Remarkably, however, it accounts for 17% of Phantom readers, and 38% of his stalwart Phans.] {The Phantom is impressed. An erudite readership: Who gnu?} /Indeed, we should pause to reflect here on the excellence of you, the tender Reader. How come ye to this place? Clearly, you know the right people.\

So it was with evident delight to this group, oh, and anyone else who has heard of/enjoys/seen/or participated in Shakespearean drama that StageCenter took on the Herculean task of producing The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged). Being everyone’s favorite theater patron—how nice of so many of you to say “Hi”—The Phantom is no stranger to the theatrical efforts of The Bard. So The Phantom happily anticipated this performance. But yes, he admits that he was also apprehensive about his return to downtown Bryan. The last time he made the climb to the third floor, he was confused and confounded by the cacophony and conundrums of La Turista. Chided, too, when he dared to have a point of view that differed from those of his intellectual betters.

But this story has a happy ending. The Phantom loved this production from start to finish. The warm climes of a late June evening did not hamper our delight. Nor did the pleasantly full feeling we got from devouring the entire deep-fried, stuffed-with-tasty-chicken-and-seasonings avocado that we washed down with a couple of icy-cold brews. (It was clearly a dish that was not created by a suave sophisticate.) [But that was okay with The Phantom. He swings from both sides of the plate.] {When it suits him. And the avocado thing suits him.} <Where were we?>

Oh, right. This was a rapid-fire play (how else can we encompass the compleat works in only 2 hours?) and StageCenter’s intrepid cast wasted no time jumping right in with a lengthy, yet abbreviated performance of Romeo and Juliet. Our actors did a terrific job of embodying the know-it-all narrator, the hard-working Shakespearean actor and the semi-reluctant third member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Our hard-working trio played themselves, so The Phantom shall use actual first names; after all, they started it. Chuck, Jeremy and Silas were tremendous and tremendously funny in this production. Jeremy was a spot-on, skilled Shakespearean actor who managed to pull a lot of comfortable, current comedy out of his performance. He did not (and we applaud him for this) become uppity with his expertise. Never did the audience feel patronized. Clap, clap Jeremy. Welcome back to The Bard’s boards. Very nice job.

Silas proved once again that he has a gift for acting. This kid has some real acting chops, and he just gets better each time we see him. Please keep coming back Silas; comedy or drama, you are very, very good.

Chuck held his own with his skilled co-stars and although he was not the strongest of the trio, his performance was solid. Very fine job, Chuck.

The Phantom will not recap the show here, as he feels strongly that one should make every effort to see the show in person if the opportunity presents itself. He will mention two of his favorite moments: The Rap Othello and the histories as a football game. Yes, you get the idea; this isn’t your grandmother’s Shakespeare. Even the audience participation for Ophelia was a raucous good time and not a forced “c’mon everybody, LET’S SING TOGETHER NOW” that sends shudders up the spines of those more discerning, cynical and less perky. It was fun! And you didn’t have to be drunk to agree.

And segueing from “drunk” to “pregnant” (and who hasn’t?), we also particularly enjoyed the participation of the grumpy, but all-business, almost-tolerant stage manager. Very nice job, indeed.

The set was minimal but the backdrop gets its own special mention as our favorite hand-painted backdrop of the season. Really, really nice job, splendid-backdrop painter. Lighting good, music good. All good.

So by all accounts, this was one of the best StageCenter productions of the season. The director can take all the credit she wishes (and we know she will), but The Phantom doffs his hat to the fine cast and crew of this terrific production. If he were wearing a hat. No matter. Thank you very much for a most enjoyable evening of Community Theater. Even if you weren’t a raging Shakespeare fan at the start, you were definitely a Reduced Shakespeare fan by the end.

Other than that, it was great.

The Phantom