The literary and dramatic richness of William Shakespeare’s texts apart, their universality emerges from their ability to be adapted across various formats and social circumstances. There’s little in terms of a narrative format that Shakespearean plays haven’t explored, which makes it difficult for writers or audiences to escape a feeling of deja vu when they see a play unfold. But Riyaz Usman of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an open experimental theatre group in Hyderabad and the director of The Cmplt Wrks of Wllm Shkspr took that as a challenge to encapsulate all 38 works of Shakespeare into a single play spanning over two hours, featuring just three actors. Their experiment took off with the title of the production itself; a typical SMS lingo to convey its precision.
Riyaz had to use various theatrical devices to position the mix of stories in good stead, like Othello’ s staging through a rap, a unique football match commentary segment to follow the condensed version of 16 Shakespeare comedies in five minutes. The play is often interactive, as the audience gets to essay a role in Hamlet . “There are different adaptations of Shakespeare, this idea came from a show where Hamlet was staged in 15 minutes decades ago. Given the size of the original texts, some of the plays here only get a passing mention over a conversation. Those who adore Shakespeare and understand his body of work will be able to appreciate this better,” admits Riyaz, who has also acted, with Srikanth KM, Snehal Hattikudur, and helped in the design segment of the play.
The production focuses mostly on Shakespeare’s tragedies Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet . The Lord Chamberlain’s Men also acknowledge the need to cater to an average spectator who is not familiar with Shakespearean plays in full and the need to portray contemporary social stigmas through the play. Audience would do well to note the storyteller's confusion to depict Shakespeare within the play in the 'to be or not to be' segment in Hamlet.
Creative liberty is something that they took in measured amounts, i.e. the middle road approach between a purist and a layman. “What to omit and what not to omit was an issue, we began seeing the common threads that every segment of the audience would associate with. The bigger problem is for the actor. The abridged version doesn't allow to you to settle into a character and requires you to undergo quick transitions.” Riyaz adds. Since the idea here is to entertain people, the actors are given a window to interpret what the texts mean in different contexts. “We have lots of contemporary social and political references that we update and improve with each production; it's done best through a satire.” ( The Cmplt Wrks of Wllm Shkspr-Abridged will be staged at Lamakaan on December 16,17 at 8 pm)
