Senior Ashley Haberberger entered stage right on Friday, Nov 19 and provided the audience with a strong introduction of the play being performed, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged.” 

You definitely would not believe it if you didn’t see it but Shakespeare can and has been made modern and hilarious and interesting, and Haberberger did an excellent job of luring the crowd into the fun and silly nature of the play.  

In this play, which features all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, shortens and parodies them to fit in an hour and a half show. The audience is heavily relied on, so each performance was different in its own way.

Months of work were put into the production and the result did not disappoint. Throw in some non-scripted laughs and falls by the cast and you have the recipe for laughter and a unique touch of our theatre program. 

Although nothing about this play screams ordinary, the unconventional format of the performance was almost the best part. Not only did the actors preside on stage but were often running off into the audience, out the theatre doors, and jumping back onto the stage. 

I admire the physical effort it must have taken for the cast despite being out of breath they carried on with their performance. 

The natural chemistry of the cast was infectious and definitely cracked the audience up. Especially Madeline Claravall, Anna Wright and Sean Bruce, the trio that carried the second half of the play; their infectious energy never failed to bring a smile to our faces. 

Absolutely no cast member disappointed, from Titus and Andronicus represented by a cooking show to the collection of histories represented by a football game, or the comedies dramatically read, there was nothing to not enjoy for the audience. 

Even the crew putting out props put on a performance for the crowd bringing out pieces for the stage and dramatically staring and hesitating before scampering off the stage. 

Moral of the story if you missed this play, you missed out on an amazing opportunity to laugh your head off, thank you fellow Liberty thespians!