Nadine's PLAF Diary for Thursday, September 13

Performance: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] (The Marathon Theater Collective) (Future Showtimes)

This festival has been full of highly forgiving audiences, even when squeezed into a tiny theatre like the Shubin and given uncomfortable chairs reminiscent of grandma's kitchen. I guess we Philadelphians are willing to put up with some discomfort—and the occasional bad play—in our quest for good art. That's encouraging.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]
I thought this one was the shoo-in, the play that couldn't fail. Take all of Shakespeare (and I love Shakespeare) and moosh it into ninety minutes. This play was going to rule.

It was terrible. I feel bad saying that because they cast was young and enthusiastic and charming, but it really was just awful. First of all, the play is clearly intended for teen audiences. The jokes were often juvenile, and the script took for granted that the audience thinks Shakespeare is boring. It would be a great teaching tool in a high school English class, but it wasn't funny for a grown-up audience of Shakespeare fans.

Second, the actor's didn't so much act as throw themselves energetically around the stage. The script could have been saved with great acting. But it needs actors of enormous power and subtlety, capable of perceptibly shifting from one character to another. Either these actors can't do that, or they didn't even try.