“The Complete History of America (abridged)” is a witty, silly and very, very funny play and it’s coming to Deertrees in Harrison Aug. 11 and 12.
It’s a wonderful mA?©lange of historical malapropisms, dark humor and zany slapstick. For example, picture the vaudeville team of Lewis and Clark complete with corny jokes and Marx Brothers-like sound effects – the mind boggles.
This is Deertrees Theatre’s second go-round with irreverent abridgement, having tackled “The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)” last summer. The same cast – C.L Weatherstone, Andy Chmelko, and Stephen Fecteau – is on board this time, and they have the easy camaraderie of old friends (albeit more Stooges than Musketeers).
The show, directed by Holli Harms, has a loose, improvisational feel and the actors throw so much stuff out there that it’s probably impossible not to have a good time. If you don’t like the Amerigo Vespucci routine, wait for the vertically challenged Minute Men, or the great line about Bob Dole, or various other zingers and slapstick high jinks not revealed here because they’ll be more fun if you don’t see them coming.
The spirit of the show is really more “Animal House” than Michael Moore meaning that you will find more punch lines than conspiracy theories. And when is a squirt gun not funny?
Condensing 600 years of American history into 6,000 seconds of madcap comedy, “The Complete History of America (abridged)” will be presented on Thursday and Friday, August 11 and 12 at 8 p.m.
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