Milam Community Theater’s next production

Rehearsals for Milam Community Theater’s next production are underway. The group will present “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged” May 10, 11, 17 and 18 at the Williams Event Center in Cameron.

The show is an irreverent, fast-paced romp that wrenches all 37 of the Bard’s plays from the pages of history and tosses them back onto the stage in a twisted, hilarious heap. It began life in the early 1980s as improvisational, pass-the-hat RenFaire show that grew and grew until it became London’s longest-running comedy, having clocked a very palpable nine years in London’s West End at the Criterion Theatre.

As the ‘Today Show’ put it, “If you love Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love it!”

“This is a high speed, roller-coaster compilation of all of Shakespeare’s plays condensed into about 95 minutes of madcap action,” said director Richard Stone. “It’s a bit bawdy at times — but in the way that middle school humor can be. And nowhere near what the Bard actually put on paper.”

The cast is comprised of a trio of MCT veterans: Kelita Thomas, Seth Tyson and Kalib Teetz. All of the actors play a version of themselves.

“I love these actors. They played the trio I referred to as the Baker Street Boys in the show ‘Baskerville,’ which MCT produced a year ago or so,” Stone said. “This show calls for the same kind of energy, physical comedy and commitment to the bit as that show did. I’m honored and thrilled to direct them for this production.”

Thew play was written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.

The run opens with MCT’s annual Night on the Town Dinner and a Show on Saturday, May 10. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 each. Look for the Box Office tab on the website (milamcommunitytheater.com) to make reservations, which are required. Reservation deadline for this performance is May 2.

Sunday’s shows are at 2 p.m. and the curtain rises for the Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets for these shows are available at the door or in advance at the theater’s website.

Join these madcap actors in tights as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.