They have a DVD available. Just got it from Netflix, as a matter of fact. Watched it tonight over pizza and soda. Better than I recalled.

I have the Shakespeare DVD, as you can see. The stage show is never the same thing as a video, you should know that. Case in point, I own the Midsummer Night's Dream movie, but I've been to three different stage performances of it as well. They're all different, and that's not a bad thing. One of them was a little TOO different. They split the part of Robin Goodfellow/Puck into two characters: Robin Goodfellow and Puck. Of course none of the other characters acted like this was unusual, but the two actors alternated lines and speaches from Puck's part. Granted, a little of the effect was odd, as the two actors tossed in a little homosexual innuendo with their actions, but it was a refreshing change of pace. I'm still stewing that I missed the stage show of Much Ado About Nothing when it was at the Guthrie a few years back, but I just didn't have the money.

According to the Reduced Shakespeare Company's website, the radio show was recorded for the BBC back in the early nineties, and the PBS special/DVD was recorded in the late nineties. Granted, some material has to be altered for it to fit an audio format, but there are a lot of jokes on the DVD that were probably not invented when the radio show was recorded. I'm sure that if I went to a live produciton it would be a different experience all over again. That's the point of stage theatre, right? The fact is that the theater experience is something that you just can't rent at your local Hollywood.

To lighten up, here are some Reduced Shakespeare quotes.

Austin: Give us your cash, if we be friends.

Austin: We'll take any denomination at all. Anything but the Euro, we really don't have any idea what that is about.

Adam as Cleopatra: Is this an asp before me! Ack, I've been bitten by a snake! Blargh!

Reed: Antony and Cleopatra.
Adam: Yeah, we did that. I puked in that guys' hat.

Adam: Shakespeare didn't write Hamlet, did he?
Austin: Of course he did!
Adam: No he didn't, it's a Mel Gibson movie.

Austin: I am Omlette, the Cheese Danish!

Martin: We will do it backwards!
Austin: Huh?
Martin: I got caught up in the moment.
Adam: How's that going to work?
Austin (points to Yoricks skull): This could be you. (to the audience) Oh yeah, and be sure to listen for the satanic messages.

Adam (the "satanic message"): Frank Sinatra is God!

Adam: There once was a Moor by the name of Othello. He liked white women and he liked green Jello.

Reed: Cymbeline taming the merchant of Venice in the tempest of love as much as you like it for nothing.

Reed as King Lear during the succession football game: Divide we our kingdom in three. Cordelia, you go long.
Adam: We have a penalty. Fictional character on the field, Lear is disqualified.
Reed: Aw!

Adam: I told you before we came to London that I will not do dry, boring, vomitless Shakespeare.

Austin: The place: Verona, Italy. The time: a really long time ago.

Austin: Shakepeare has nothing to do with Godzilla!
Adam: Awww...

I think they aired that on BBC7 not so long ago, you know.

Eep. That really is evil.