A "loving crash course" in Shakespeare

The works of William Shakespeare have previously come to life on the Western Wyoming Community College stage, but never quite in the way they will this weekend when the Western Theater Program presents "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]." 

The concept behind the play is "three actors putting on all 37 plays of Shakespeare in 90 minutes," Director Eric de Lora explained. He added that the result ends up being "pretty intense and ridiculous." 

The actors admit at the start of the show that they're attempting to do the impossible, and de Lora pointed out that most of the plays do end up being condensed or just getting a brief mention. Still, this show mashes the famous works together into what ends up being a tribute and a parody and a "loving crash course in all things Shakespeare."

The show was originally put together by three men in the 80s, and it went on to tour across Europe before finding a home in London's West End for nearly a decade and being nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy. The creators continued to work on the show, leading to it being "[revised]" once in 2007 and revised "[again]" into its current form in 2022. 

De Lora has been familiar with the show for his whole career, and previously did a production with highschoolers in California. Still, "Shakespeare (abridged)" had never been produced by Western, although many Shakespeare plays have been performed by both the theater program and the BOCES Summer Theater for Youth program. 

Last year, as de Lora was starting to think ahead to potential future productions, things kept pointing back to Shakespeare. It was the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the First Folio of Shakespeare's works, and de Lora had the chance to visit London and see a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Globe Theater. Thinking through the ways Shakespeare is both an ideal for playwrights to aspire to and the bedrock foundation of English-speaking theater as a whole, de Lora wanted to present this show as a unique perspective on the bard's work. 

As opposed to one of the original works, this abridged and revised version of Shakespeare is accessible for people who might be intimidated by the classics, and is "a great way to dip your toe in the water," according to de Lora. 

The show is also an especially humorous take on even some of the more intense stories. 

"Even when they do the serious moments in the tragedies, they are anything but serious," de Lora explained. 

While Shakespeare wrote both tragedies and comedies, this show combines them all in a way that ends up being over the top. 

"It's poking fun at theater and people who take Shakespeare too seriously and miss out on the humor and the fun," de Lora said. 

At the same time, the show stays true to the spirit of many of the original works. 

"I think what's fun is that it's very much in the style of any number of Shakespeare's actual comedies," de Lora explained, pointing out that it involves many of the tropes the original plays used, such as misunderstandings, mistaken identities, cross dressing, and general chaotic mayhem. "Like any Shakespearian comedy, you're on a bit of a rollercoaster ride." 

The show is also a rollercoaster ride for the three actors who take on the challenge of constantly switching between multiple characters, with somewhere close to 40 or 50 costume and prop changes as they run on and off set without a break. 

"It's a lot of pressure on these guys to pull it off," de Lora said of the cast. "They really have to know what they're doing. They have to really rely on each other." 

Thankfully, de Lora is confident he was able to work with the three students he needed to pull it off. Two of the three cast members are Timmy Golightly and Lark Kropf, both Green River natives who have grown up doing theater. De Lora has known both of them for nearly a decade since they regularly participated in the BOCES summer program. 

Star photo by Hannah Romero

Lark Kropf takes on an extra Scottish look for a condensed version of "Macbeth."

"The two of them I've known and watched grow and develop for a very long time," de Lora explained. 

The third actor, Jeremy Cain, came from Utah, but also grew up being involved in children's and community theater, so the entire cast comes with a surprising amount of experience. De Lora specifically chose them for this show because he knew that they could handle it, but that it would also be an opportunity for them to be challenged and to grow. 

"I think that's fun for them, but it's also fun for the audience, because you're really seeing actors act," de Lora said, explaining they are required to pull everything out of their toolbox to keep up with the quick pace of the play and to constantly switch characters. "It's a fascinating kind of theatrical experience to watch actors act and transform and play within a play." 

"The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]" opens tonight at Western Wyoming Community College. There will be performances at 7:30 p.m. on April 18, 19 and 20, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on April 20. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors and may be purchased online, by calling the box office, or at the door. Seating is general admission and limited since this production is in the theater's black box setting on stage.