Bard on the Beach (Vanier Park) to September 20, 2025
Tickets from $35 at 604-739-0559 or www.bardonthebeach.org
Posted July 10, 2025
If you’re curious about what’s going on under the tents down at Vanier Park from June 10-September 20, but you hate Shakespeare, this one’s for you. It’s also a show for everyone who loves Shakespeare; in fact, the more familiar you are with the works of the Bard, the more you will laugh at this abridged, revised, and revised-again script by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield. Directed by funnyman Mark Chavez and, on opening night, featuring the amazingly funny and aerobically super-fit Craig Erickson, Tess Degenstein and Nathan Kay, we laughed non-stop for ninety minutes. What a workout! For the performers, too! (Arghavan Jenati will be alternating with Tess Degenstein, a very hard act to follow.)
Credit: Tim Matheson
So, how many plays and sonnets did Shakespeare write between 1589 and 1613? Thirty-eight plays and one hundred and fifty-four sonnets. Do the math: 154 + 38 = 192 ‘Works’ and ninety minutes to do them all. Ninety minutes divided by 192 Works = less than half a minute each. Plus, oh yes, doing them forwards and, in the case of Hamlet (or “Helmet” as Kay tries to tell) us, backwards. Give us an “H”, give us an “E”, give us an “L”, give us an “M”, give us an “E”, give us a “T”. What do you get? “Helmet”. Something’s definitely wrong in the state of Denmark.
So, here’s the deal: an offstage voice tells performers Erickson, Kay and Degenstein that, should they fail to finish in ninety minutes, they will be turned into – you’ll never believe this – cans of cider. Indeed, the cider you might order at intermission could be the remains of actors who previously failed to do the play in ninety minutes. Maybe you should pass on the cider and get the double caramel popcorn to be on the safe side.
Credit: Tim Matheson
There are cheeky references to Bard’s Artistic Director Christopher Gaze; “Who’s Christopher Gaze?” asks Kay. “He’s the reason Shakespeare exists” is the response. In Vancouver it’s probably true.
Titus Andronicus as a Hallmark movie? A space-age Coriolanus? A confusion of Moor and moor resulting in a whole lot of plastic boats for Othello? All at breakneck speed. Tick tock.
The performance area is backed by a huge wall packed with props: hats, capes, a stuffed mountain goat – a veritable mountain jumble of stuff – created by designer Ryan Cormack. Lighting by Jeff Harrison adds some spookiness and suspense when that offstage voice interrupts to announce the ever-diminishing number of minutes remaining. There’s song, dance. Fake snow. This show has it all.
Credit: Tim Matheson
And it has three outstanding performers keeping it all together and keeping their own names. Kay plays a sort of hapless, know-nothing guy who confuses Horatio with fellatio. Degenstein has only pretended to be a trained actor and tries to convince the other two that she’s using a “Shakespearean technique” to deliver the “To be or not to be” monologue. It’s not Shakespearean technique she’s told; “It’s called ‘loud’”. And Erickson is the perseverant, on-track guy who reminds the other two, “When you do Hamlet, you gotta do it good.” Erickson doing expressive dance? You have to see it to believe it. Three harder working performers you will not find together on one stage at one time. Period.
Credit: Tim Matheson
It’s insane and silly and ridiculous but, damn, when times are this tough (tariffs, wars, climate change and trying to find celery that doesn’t come from California), we’ll take it.
All’s well that’s done well. And this Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] is well done. Take someone who hates Shakespeare – if you can find one. They’ll never be the same.