The video of The Reduced Shakespeare Company's Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).
Here's the description from their website:
Loosen your doublets, sort out your singlets and witness the RSC performing HAMLET forwards and backwards in 30 seconds. Clutch your codpieces and join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through all Shakespeare's comedies, histories and tragedies in one terrific roller coaster ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.
While I wouldn't say we were "helpless with laughter", it was certainly funny and a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday evening. You need to have some acquaintance with Shakespeare to think it as funny as we did. Zteen's last Lit course was a Shakespeare survey course, and we have attended numerous productions of Shakespeare (most notably at the now defunct "Shakespeare in the Park" in Fort Worth).
We laughed and laughed: Titus Andronicus as a cooking show (eeeeuuuuwwww!), Othello as a rap tune, all the comedies jammed together (since they're all really one plot, played out 16 times, per TRSC!), the Histories as a football game, and Hamlet with audience participation.
Not great, but certainly GOOD, especially for Zteen after finishing his course!
Last summer, I was taken to see them do the Great Books (Abridged) by a friend as a birthday present. They were hilarious. I don't know if this comes through in the video, but they do a certain amount of improvisation in the show. At one point they nearly got lost in it. I am told they have done American history as well.
Yep, and they've also done the Bible (abridged).
And I would love to see it!
I saw them live in london for the complete history of the united states. very funny indeed.