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Peer Reviews The Complete
History of America: Abridged Reviewed by Julia Leist Entire contents are copyright © 2007 Julia Leist. All rights reserved.
"Comedy" is not my first thought when I hear the name The Frazier International History Museum. Typically, I think of war and swords and, well, men in tights, which I must confess always inspires a chuckle, or two. But theatre? In a history museum? Sure, the landscape of theatre is dotted with plays concerning the fallible fates of history's most notable and tragic figures -- men like Julius Caesar, Richard III, Henry IV, Henry VIII -- all written by Shakespeare but nonetheless excellent examples. So, of course it would make sense to produce The Complete History of America: Abridged, written by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, within the steel-framed structure on West Main that is The Frazier Museum. America -- land of the free, land of apple pie and Wal-Mart, land of the "so-so" funny. This is what I learned from the supposedly 90-minute but really two-hour romp. As fast as a twister can sweep across the Kansas plains, we jump right into the beginning of American history. The play lightheartedly highlights the key points of your 8th grade history class. It plays like a checklist: Land-hungry European settlers -- check. Washington and his mythical Minutemen -- check. Wars and the Roosevelts, Commies and bra burnings, Clinton and his intern -- check, check, check! And yes, there is a lot to laugh about, over two hundred and thirty-one years of pure sidesplitting satirical potential. The jokes in Complete History have been done before, and unfortunately for the writers, done with more steam and wit. There is the occasional fall-off-your-chair moment, but overall the laughter is reduced to obligatory chuckles. The trusty "spit water at the audience" joke is only funny once. The cast plays hard, and director J. Barrett Cooper orchestrates the physicality of the piece well. Someone once said that the only thing you need to create theatre is light and an actor -- well, in this case, three actors and a whole lot of props. In a presentation style, the actors attack the script with pure energy, though at times the pulse grinds to a halt. For the most part, the consistency of the performances allow for the comedy to grow legs and run on its own. The Complete History of America: Abridged is a class you might want to consider. It's far more entertaining than having a quick re-read of your 8th grade textbook. One final piece of advice: Bring a raincoat! The Complete History of America: Abridged Posted July 28, 2007; updated July 30, 2007
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