No one, it seems, takes to heart the phrase, “The show must go on,” like the Riot to Follow Theater. True to their craft, the company of players made do spectacularly with Lecture Hall I, transforming it from a traditional classroom into a theater complete with a balcony (for Romeo & Juliet, of course) and backstage area.
The three person cast of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare [Abridged],” showed resilience as a last minute absence left Director Patrick Gilmore the responsibility of filling in for Camille Boults after a traumatic head injury.
However, the gender swap arguably added to the comedic effect. The role was originally written for a male actor, and references his horrible taste in wigs during a scene in which he plays Ophelia.
Though neither the set nor the cast worked out as originally intended, Riot To Follow executed the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s rendition of the Bard’s works wonderfully and enthusiastically — the lofty lecture hall quickly filled with laughter from the audience. It reminded everyone, no doubt, of the best and worst moments of their high school English classes, inviting culture into the brains of the relatively unwitting.
By Anatalia Nicholl
