The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)

Ben Wellicome, Connor Bailey & John Harrison. Photo by Gwyn Davies.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre from Monday 25 August – Saturday 30 August 2025. Directed by James Harris.

Review by Ashley Hayward.

If you’re not a lover of Shakespeare it is quite understandable that a glance at the title of this play could immediately lead you to the conclusion that it’s probably not for you. However, if you are someone who enjoys fast paced theatre full of good humour, excellent acting, slapstick, contemporary references, audience participation and outrageous costumes then I can assure you that you will leave the theatre with a broad smile on your face.

There may, of course, be those that really appreciate their Shakespeare and don’t like the idea of the great Bard’s work having fun poked at it. They can be assured that the script is very respectful to this incredible playwright and in many ways, it is a tribute and celebration of his amazing output as well as the timelessness of his themes.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Photo by Gwyn Davies.

It is remarkable that the audience are taken on a journey through all 37 of his plays in addition to his sonnets in 97 minutes. What is even more remarkable is that it is performed by only three actors! The characters Daniel (Ben Wellicome), Jess (Connor Bailey) and Adam (John Harrison) are all energetically performed as they form an excellent trio, complementing each other superbly.

The highly imaginative script begins with Romeo and (a not very feminine) Juliet and we then watch Titus Andronicus in the form of a TV Cookery programme followed by a wrap version of Othello!

The actors appear to be thoroughly enjoying the performance and the audience appreciated their stamina and excellent timing as everything was delivered at breakneck speed. Most of the really famous Shakespearian quotes were there and there were also a few hilarious misquotes!

Expect a hilarious evening. Photo by Gwyn Davies.

The enthusiasm of the actors became really infectious and, as they rapidly moved from one play to the next, it could easily have descended into chaos but under the skilful direction of James Harris this certainly did not happen.

In order to come up with a script which covered so many works in such a short period of time, I can only conclude that the writers agreed with the great man himself when he wrote ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’! (Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2).

A lovely evening’s entertainment.

For tickets please go to: https://talismantheatre.co.uk/