Don't Call Him
Rating: 5
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Olathe Community Theatre Association
It was a true delight to witness this phenomenal comedy on Saturday, March 26th. It was my first time visiting the space and I was very impressed with how they had transformed the old church into a beautiful and comfortable theatre. Upon entering, the audience is greeted by a vibrant and comical set designed by actor Shea Coffman. I loved the labels painted on the stage such as "C" for center and "You are about to break the fourth wall" on the edge. There were so many funny and interesting things to look at!
Though I knew the general concept of the show I was unprepared for the crazy trip that was director Kipp Simmons's three-man extravaganza. They crammed so many clever jokes into this show that there was barely a moment that I wasn't laughing (which at sometimes was an issue because I couldn't hear the next few lines over the audience). I really appreciated the way they made things personal and relevant by making references to modern celebrities, local events, and their own eccentricities.
The three actors, Kyle Dyck, David Martin, and Reed Uthe, had amazing chemistry and comedic timing. Each of them had their own style and the audience was quick to catch on to their niches. Dyck (which, as joked about, is pronounced dick) was the "dumb one" who was always the first one to get confused and all of the female parts. I took a particular joy in his performance as we are good friends from the cast of the Brownville Village Theatre's 2009 season. Even though he was constantly running around in different wigs pretending to vomit on the audience, we still got to see his serious side when he performed on of the monologues from Hamlet (which took up the entirety of Act 2) in the traditional style. Knowing him personally, I was already aware of his prowess for Shakespearean acting and I was glad they decided to showcase that talent. David Martin was the "goofy one" and his extreme height (6'6" I believe) really lent itself to that character. The highlight of his performance was his physical comedy; I especially enjoyed his take on the old man, Polonius, from Hamlet. Reed Uthe was the "pretentious one" who was supposed to be the one that knew the most about Shakespeare; so it was that much funnier when he got something wrong. His shining moment? Hamlet, of course! I think he did it best backwards.
>From the witty banter with the sound guy, Bob, to the insulting of various audience members (though Kyle was kind enough to compliment me on my hair as he was running through the row behind me to get away from Reed), to getting everyone in the room to play a part of Ophelia's personality, the show was a complete riot! I wish they would have had a longer run so that more people could have enjoyed this wonderful show. I haven't laughed that hard since Edward Cullun took off his shirt! Do I even have to say it? 5 out ot 5.
Jamie Lin
read the review at KC Stage
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