"History" Stands in for Shakespeare

My fellow American, did you know that the same letters that spell “George Washington” can be rearranged to read “gaggin’ on wet horse?” Or that the Story of the First People should be told through the Dance of the Antelope’s Intestine? No? All that’s about to change because if you’re here to see “The Complete History of America (abridged)” you’ll hear Ben Franklin’s quote rearranged to say, “History is written by the winners – but tonight, it’s our turn.”

Marin Shakespeare Company, now in its twenty-second year, has delighted audiences with “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” four times in the past. “Complete Works,” says Director Robert Currier, originated at the old Black Point Renaissance Faire thirty years ago and is “by far the most successful theatre piece ever to come out of Marin County.” At that time, three Berkeley grads, Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor condensed all of Shakespeare into two hours. Subsequent condensations took on the Bible, Sports, Great Literature, and now its younger “Complete” cousin, American History.

This show begins with the National Anthem, entirely rephrased. (Do not try to sing along!) It includes a timeline – a long, long timeline – that stretches far out into the audience and whose history is punctuated with one-liners, silly business and damp volleys from a battery of onstage squirt gun.

“America’s” three cast members, Darren Bridgett, Cassidy Brown and Mick Mize carry on the lunatic tradition with a combination of manic zeal and professional cool. They are ready for anything. When a nearby car alarm goes off early in the show, they improvise a line or two and incorporate it into the show. Later, when Bridgett takes an unscripted fall down one of the trapdoors, he carries on as if it were part of the act. (An orange traffic cone, however, covers the offending door in the second act.) And they know what to do with hecklers!

There is politics in this show, but that’s to be expected. There is also some raunchy humor from time to time. The only problem with this script (and the show acknowledges this) is that many parts of history just don’t adapt to humor. For instance, “Civil War: the Slideshow” is funny, but Lincoln’s assassination just isn’t, nor is the comparison with Kennedy; they’re familiar, but not funny. Battlefield jokes in the trenches get laughs, but the Cold War doesn’t. And so it goes.

But “The Complete History of America (abridged)” is fast, creative, and a zesty filling for Marin Shakespeare Company’s summer sandwich, playing in repertory between “Macbeth” and “The Tempest” through Sunday afternoon, Sept. 25.

All shows are in the Forest Meadows Amphitheatre at Dominican University in San Rafael. Ticket prices range from $20 to $35, with discounts available for special events and season ticket holders. An additional discount, “Pay Your Age” is also offered for adults from 21 to 34. Picnics and box lunches are welcome, and parking is free. Please bring jackets, hats, even lap blankets for evening performances.

For complete information or reservations, call the box office at 499-4488, or see www.marinshakespeare.org.