Freedom in ‘high speed’ Bard play

Posted: Thursday Jan 25, 2024

Three actors, 37 plays, 100 props and hundreds of characters will come together in a high-energy mashup, as Dunedin Summer Shakespeare celebrates its fifth anniversary season with a madcap production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

Created in the 1980s by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield of The Reduced Shakespeare Company, the whirlwind 97-minute romp through the Bard’s complete works is being directed for Dunedin Summer Shakespeare by Lara Macgregor, and stars Sara Georgie, Nick Tipa and Gregory Cooper as everyone from Hamlet to Juliet.

The goofball comedy will be staged for free at Chingford Park, North East Valley, February 9-11 and 16-18, with Friday and Saturday shows at 6pm, and Sunday shows at 4pm.

For Macgregor, working with three highly experienced actors to create the high-speed comedy is a "total joy", and a delightful return to the piece, which she directed 30 years ago.

"We have three actors playing 1222 characters between them, and juggling about 100 props — from a giant pie with a severed head in it, to skulls, swords and wigs and beards galore," she said.

"This play goes at such high speed that things are bound to go awry from time to time, and that’s fine too — the writers made provision for that and the audience is in on the joke.

"It gives us the glorious freedom to change the play to include local references, and to have some fun with any mistakes."

Georgie is excited to be returning to Dunedin Summer Shakespeare after starring as Prospero in last year’s production of excerpts from The Tempest.

"I love being part of this incredible group of people, as we work to get something wonderful up and ready to share with the community," she said.

"We are just having so much fun."

After last year’s successful staging at Chingford Park, Dunedin Summer Shakespeare is returning to the park — although it is shifting slightly, to a new site up behind the stables.

"There is a tiny, lovely wee glen up there behind the trees, that is very sheltered and will be a great place for us to be," Macgregor said.

"So long as the weather co-operates, everything will be fine."

A cooler day would not be a problem for the actors, who would be getting an epic cardio workout with every performance.