By James V. Ruocco
Poking fun at William Shakespeare, Abbott and Costello, Adolph Hitler and Germany, Anton Chekhov, the Bible, Donald Trump, Richard Nixon, Betty White, the Supreme Court - plus a whole lot more- "The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)," is a laugh-out-loud riot that overplays the art of comedy gag with dead-on hilarity and merriment.
Crazy.
Wicked.
Outrageous.
Satirical.
Dizzying.
It's impossible not to be swept up into the comic craziness envisioned by the show's creators, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, the creative duo also responsible for "The Complete History of America (Abridged)," "William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (Abridged)," "The Complete World of Sports (Abridged)," "The Bible- The Complete Word of God (Abridged)" and "The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged)."
For this go-round, three actors step forth to make perfect sense out of the first twelve chapters of Ah Tsu's dicey Chinese manuscript titled "The Art of Comedy," which, for comic purposes is missing the final thirteenth chapter. Presenting the book in true working order fashion, the trio drift merrily through time using everything from burlesque humor and high camp to pie-in-the-face humor and Mischief Theatre tomfoolery to make things snap. crackle, pop and hop. And, hop and pop, they do.
There's a send up of multiple baby births, a la caveman style; an homage to Anton Chekhov's convoluted, character-driven dramas; a jokey skit presented in many different incarnations about a chicken crossing the road to get to the other side; and a musical tribute to the Supreme Court, among others, requiring the cast to take a deep breath and become quick-change artists in rapid succession, playing both male and female roles, each with their own set of colorful, cross-dressing costuming.
Staging "The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)," director Kris McMurray relies on broad swaths of humor and amusement to get the message across. Therefore, the knock-about laughter, culled from comedy shtick that is as equally ridiculous as the material itself, must be played straight in order for it to fly off the back walls and hit the audience smack in the face with craziness so impossible to resist, a coughing fit is more than likely, as is a near-fall out of your seat onto the Connecticut Cabaret Theatre floor.
What's especially fun about this piece is that you're never quite sure what's going to happen next or when the frantic cast of three (exceptional casting on McMurray's part) is going to switch gears, plunge headfirst into the play's powder-keg of different characters and personalities, purposely break character or pull unsuspecting members of the audience up on stage to participate in a comic sketch or two. And therein, lies the play's enjoyment and unsuspected giddy up.
A master craftsman of sorts, McMurray comes to "The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)" with the right directorial choreography and illustrative style to thrust the piece into high gear with the infectious energy and wickedness it demands. He has fun. We have fun. He laughs. We laugh. He gets down and dirty. We get down and dirty. He's bold and brazen. We are bold and brazen. He goes for the sight gag. We go for the sight gag.
And when a cast member humorously says the word "fuck," we humorously say the word "fuck" as well. And, so on.
As with "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," another comedy of the same ilk, this production is largely dependent on comic sketches that tie both acts together and thrust the action forward in non-stop comic fashion. McMurray tackles the play's varying types of comedy - slapstick, vaudevillian, musical hall, sit-com, physical, pun, double take, double entendre - with creative aplomb, never once getting bogged down in overkill, repetitiveness or paint-by-numbers staging. Here, no two scenes are alike. Nothing is replayed over and over unless the script dictates a replay. And nothing is out of sync with the show's conceit. The accent is on fun and McMurray keeps the laughter coming and coming in rapid succession.
The production stars Rick Bennett, Chris Brooks and James J. Moran.
All three are exceptional actors with impeccable comic timing and improvisational versatility who adapt brilliantly to the mounting mayhem of the piece using the over-the-top mindset and dizziness associated with this type of entertainment. They are crazy. They are polished. They are funny. They are also in top form as they effortlessly drift from one character to the next, echoing the technical panache of silent film actors, vaudevillians, sit-com television stars, stand up comedians and London comedy troupes all rolled up into one.
Given the play's crazy premise and its purposely egregious acting styles, all three take hold of the production's overplayed mayhem with the kind of devilish variety, face-first agility, peppy angst and sidesplitting commitment prompted by the show's creators. They ham it up. They camp it up. They improvise. They toy with the audience. They also know how to make the faux calamities, mishaps, pratfalls, sight gags and double takes of the entire production workable in true ensemble piece fashion like actors groomed in the school of British farce or the British musical halls that once dominated Leicester or Trafalgar Square in London.
The fourth member of the piece, who, remains offstage for the entire production is sound and light operator CJ Janis, a young, savvy, intuitive technician and theater lover, who comes to Connecticut Cabaret Theatre with a creative mindset and showmanship that keeps the two-act comedy technically in sync for its entire 90 minute length. Since laughs are the whole kit and caboodle here, Janis has the enviable task of controlling and unleashing a trunk load of sound and light cues designed to heighten the farcical silliness and chaos at hand.
Timing that is expertly driven right to down to the millisecond is important here and Janis - always knowing what buttons to push and when - succeeds swimmingly. His creative expertise not only reflects the comic vision set forth by writers Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, but allows the cast to unleash their comic hijinks and shenanigans without a hiccup, glitch or halt in sight. In turn, laughs comes in all the right places, as set forth by McMurray's snappy, heavily-detailed stage book of light cues, blackouts, slide show presentations and sound-effects which Janis milks to perfection much to the delight on everyone on stage and in the audience.
In conclusion, "The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)" is a tremendously funny comedy that provides non stop laughter for its audience using a cast of three that throw themselves headfirst into the ensuing mayhem. The script itself is cheeky, crazy and outrageous. Kris McMurray's playful, titanically silly direction goes the banana peel route, laced with a giant dollop of never ending sitcom jokes and comedy cliches that are impossible to resist. And the cast, all uniformly excellent, deliver one of the funniest shows on record at the moment.
"The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)" is being staged at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre (31-311 Webster Square Rd., Berlin, CT), now through April 27.
For tickets or more information, call (860) 829-1248.
website: ctcabaret.com
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