Last week, the UNC Charlotte Department of Dance and Theatre presented its first dramatic production of the semester. The show, an adaptation of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)," is a remarkably successful adaptation of the hit English comedy.

Involving a cast of only three actors (with a large helping of audience participation), the show puts forth an ambitious premise--to perform all of Shakespeare's 37 plays in one chaotic presentation.

The cast of the UNCC production, consisting of Wil Johnson, Katie Campbell and Ian Sullivan, and headed by director Matt Webster, has brought home the bumbling humor of London's longest-running comedy.

Though it is now known far and wide, the show arose from humble origins. An act intended for a small group, it was one of the first shows performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, a theater troupe working for tips at Renaissance Festivals on the west coast.

Founded in the early eighties, the group has continued to grow in popularity and size, expanding into two branches--one in the UK, one in the States--and is still writing and performing new shows. Other entries in their catalogue include "The Complete History of America (abridged)," "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)," "Western Civilization: The Complete Musical (abridged)," and the writing credit for the BBC's "Gone With the Wind II: Scarlet Fever." Clearly, they have found their niche.

The UNCC Department of Dance and Theatre did not content themselves with the script as it was written, however. The cast and crew--particulaly director Matt Webster have added their own flair to the story. Throughout this performance can be found alterations, moderate and minor, that were added to increase the relevance and accessibility of the play to an audience in Charlotte, N.C.

As in the original, the actors go by their real-life names, addressing the audience as themselves (albeit versions of themselves that have been altered in manner and dress), with the premise that they are improvising this performance, with the goal of familiarizing the modern audience with Shakespeare's work.

They have, however, been a bit ambitious in their goals, announcing that they will perform all of the playwright's works in the allotted two-hour time span (the original show was clocked at 97 minutes, but the additions to this production have extended it somewhat). Thus, with bungling and poor planning on the part of the characters, the show is transformed into a fast-paced, even exciting, comedic ride.

Put together in four weeks--with those involved scheduling rehearsals around their classes and jobs--the production shows much evidence of the impressive amounts of work involved (in the world of professional theater, the cast with a month to rehearse would've had the ability to work on the production full-time).

The level of memorization involved in full-length theater productions is often a marvel to those of us on the outside, and the number of segments involved in this show, along with the rapid pace of the scenes and the show's "improvised" atmosphere serve to amplify this effect. Acting to the idea that one's lines have been rehearsed (poorly so) is an interesting effect to try to create, and the cast (consisting of Ian Sullivan, Katie Campbell and Wil Johnson) has succeeded admirably.

There are two more scheduled performances: Oct. 11 in Rowe and a benefit show Oct. 18 at Theatre Charlotte. The production is both highly entertaining and highly recommended.