A comedic performance of the complete works of Shakespeare at York Theatre Royal, featuring a rebooted version of the West End classic.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) comes to the York Theatre Royal from 7 July, with the run continuing through to 11 July. It's a comedic take on the Bard's entire output, and this particular production is a reboot of the West End classic, reimagined for 2026.
The premise is as ambitious as it sounds: all 37 of Shakespeare's plays condensed into a single show. It's a rollercoaster ride through the whole lot, and the comedy comes from trying to fit that much ground into one evening. The production is presented by The Theatre Chipping Norton and Selladoor Worldwide, and they've worked with founding members of the original company to refresh the material for this version.
There's a bit of history behind it that explains why it works. The Reduced Shakespeare Company started as a street theatre troupe in the 1980s, busking short versions of Shakespeare at Renaissance Faires. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) first appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987 and later ran for nine years at London's Criterion Theatre. Since then, it's been performed in over 20 countries and featured in two TV specials, so it's a well-travelled show.
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On stage in York, the cast is Efé Agwele, Woogie Jung, Tom Pavey, and Kiran Raywilliams. They'll be performing in the Main House at the York Theatre Royal, with the run starting on Tuesday 7 July and going through to Saturday 11 July. If you've ever wondered what it would look like to get through every single one of Shakespeare's plays in one go, this is your chance to see it done for laughs.
