Buffalo Theater: Shakespeare has never been faster or funnier in this improv-friendly play that takes audiences through each Bard story in one evening

By Nathan Andrew Miller

(Above: Courtesy of the Kenan Center Facebook page.)

Even someone not well-versed in theater most likely has a vague knowledge of William Shakespeare. They probably know some of his words, even. It’s the premise that makes shows like The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again] successful: comedy based on broad Shakespearean tropes. This show, where actors take us on a journey to perform every Shakespeare play, fueled by comedy and a fast pace, has indeed been revised again.

If you cringe when you think of improv, you might be imagining “Give me a place!” What Complete Works, now settling into the Kenan Center in Lockport after stints in Olean and Binghamton, brings is so very different. It’s three of Buffalo’s best actors, Shakespeare or otherwise, lending their incredible comedic timing to a witty tip of the cap to the Bard we know and love.

Let’s talk about what to expect first: audience participation, in the best sense of it. Jeremy Kreuzer begins the show with the traditional “curtain speech” before launching into the world of the play. He invites supposed pre-eminent Shakespeare scholar Kevin Craig to the stage and enjoys Craig’s Shakespeare scholarship just a bit too much. The audience around me was just recovering from the most recent fit of laughter when the third actor, Brendan Didio, graced the scene. It’s off to the races, sometimes literally, from there.

Kreuzer, Craig and Didio are remarkably talented actors in their own right, having starred in actual roles in actual Shakespeare plays. As a result, their tongue-in-cheek send-ups to Shakespeare’s plays have an understanding of the actual material, which only adds to the hilarity. I’ve personally known Kreuzer since high school, and I’m still impressed by his ridiculous charisma onstage. All three actors are deftly choreographed, and I do mean choreographed, around the stage by director Kevin Leary. Lighting design by Chris George pinpoints areas of the neutral and simple (yet effective) set design by Christopher Bratek. The actors are using every inch of the Taylor Theatre’s beautiful auditorium to comic delight. Well-thought-out, sound design by Nicholas Quinn rounds out the evening.

I wish there were a way to write three individual reviews, highlighting the nuances of each performer. Unfortunately, I’m confined to one, so I’ll be brief. Kreuzer, as I’ve mentioned, ends up playing a kind of narrator of the evening, when he’s not throwing himself into characters and impressions. Craig, starting as the scholar, quickly finds his way into supporting roles, and begins to give a rather impassioned “To be, or not to be …” Didio is the “amateur” character, playing a stereotype of the actor who doesn’t understand nuance. But Didio gets nuance, all right. Though all three actors are exquisite, Didio steals the show with his physical comedy, before rendering a gutting “What a piece of work is man.” I can’t wait to see him actually play Hamlet later this month at the Kenan Center, with fellow Kenan Center Repertory Company member Christine Turturro-Beausoleil as Ophelia and a veritable who’s who of Buffalo theater supporting.

Actually, folks, I’d like to address something. I love Buffalo theater. I love Broadway tours at Shea’s. I love that Musicalfare has found a new home at Shea’s 710, and that other companies have brought the former Studio Arena back to life along with Musicalfare. I love that community theaters are packing houses and having subscriber bases. What I’d really love to see is audiences going everywhere to see live theater.

There are so many incredible performances happening all across Buffalo, and by my count there are 16 professional companies that make up the Theatre Alliance of Buffalo, and several other non-member professional and community companies to add to live entertainment. It hurts my theater loving heart to see empty seats in a theater, especially when actors are baring their souls, funny bones or both. So take that trek to a theater you may not have been to before — you never know when you might get hooked all over again.

This fantastic Kenan Center production of Complete Works runs through May 10. For 100 minutes, I promise you’ll laugh and be glad you checked out what Kevin Leary, Bill Patti and the Kenan Center Taylor Theatre have to offer.

A note for transparency’s sake: Nathan Andrew Miller has previously worked at the Kenan Center’s Taylor Theatre as a stage manager and director.

Nathan Andrew Miller has a BFA in Theatre Performance and a BA in English from Niagara University and has been reviewing theater in WNY since 2015. Nate is also an actor and director at various local theaters.