Ask any non-theatre lover the name of a playwright, and they’ll probably respond with “William Shakespeare.” Ask them to name one of his plays, and they’ll probably say Romeo & Juliet. I’d also guess they would be surprised to find out that he wrote 37 plays. Then they’ll think, “I hope I never have to see them all!” Luckily for them, they don’t have to sit through several weeks worth of Shakespearian plays, because The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) tackles (literally at times) all 37 plays in about two hours.

The young Flying Muskrat Theatre Company has created an enjoyable evening of theatre, even if you aren’t a fan of Shakespeare. While it may be a bit more fun to catch all the references in the play, you don’t really need to know exactly what is being spoofed. A few plays (Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus, Othello, and Hamlet) are given significant stage time, while the other plays are grouped together in extended scenes, such as the History plays becoming a sporting event.

The three actors (Ernie Ambrose, Brennan Jones and Zach Goubeaux) performed well for the most part. As the cast self-directed the show, with assistance from Dave Sher, the performances between scenes were a bit uneven in pacing and emphasis. Having a director who could watch the overall pace of the production would have helped greatly. Some of the transitions between scenes were slightly awkward, instead of flowing smoothly they appeared to come to a stop and then start up again.

The cast did make great use of the performing area, with a “real” set (a first for the Flying Muskrat, designed by Stephanie Miller), a basic yet effective lighting design (Bill Miller), and funny costumes (Ava Hockenberry).

The second act of Shakespeare (Abridged) focuses on Hamlet. Get ready for some audience participation, and some very funny bits. Hamlet is the most complex of the scenes, and the rehearsal effort shows, although a director would have helped tighten some of the bits that came across as unfocused.

Altogether though, The Flying Muskrat’s Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was quite fun, for lovers (and haters) of Shakespeare. It will be interesting to see what the Flying Muskrats have planned for 2014.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Rich Stanage

Cast

• Ernie Ambrose
• Brennan Jones
• Zach Goubeaux

Crew

• Assistant Director: Dave Sher
• Stage Manager, Costumes Head, Sound Board Op: Ava Hockenberry
• Set Designer, Props Head, Graphics: Stephanie Miller
• Light Designer, Light Board Op: Bill Miller
• Assistant Stage Manager: Jeremy Maline
• Publicity Crew Head: Brennan Jones
• Props Crew: Melanie Reuter
• Publicity Crew: Zack Camp
• Costume Crew, Publicity Crew: Caitlin S. Chenvert
• Costume Crew: Sasha Duckworth
• Costume Crew: Gulet Isse
• Costume Crew: Madison Meinbriesse
• Costume Crew: Evelyn Hernandez
• Makeup: Catherine Kiesel
• Paint Crew: Casey Marie Isaac
• Graphics Designer: Max Johnson
• Photo & Videographer: Rich Stanage
• Producer, Program Head, Backstage Manager: Susan Kidd
• Usher: Julian Hockenberry
• Usher: Julia Kun

Disclaimer: The Flying Muskrat Theatre Company provided a complimentary media ticket to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The Flying Muskrat Theatre Company made their public début as a community theater at the Jame Lee Community Center last Thursday evening with an evening of ten-minute plays and a series of improvisation sketches.

The evening opened with the Deputy Dog Comedy Troupe entertaining the audience with various improvisation games. The sketches created were entertaining, although a few of the transitions inside scenes and between games were awkward. Getting a bit more audience involvement would be a goal for future performances.

The short plays were mostly written by high school students. While all were interesting, a few needed a few more rewrites. Especially well received were the funny The Dry Cleaners (what happens when you decide not to drop your clothes at the dry cleaners?) and Southeastern Airlines (how to train new pilots from another field). To Cheat or Not To Cheat was an ambitious sketch involving a student’s decision to cheat on a test, with a devil and an angel appearing to show the consequences of his actions. Washington Capitals voice Wes Johnson appeared in an ongoing gag sketch A Children’s Story playing characters such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and William Shatner reading a bedtime story to his infant.

The group was created after the cancellation of a Ten Minute play festival at Falls Church High School. The students were told they could perform their plays outside the school grounds, so they started the process to put together the production themselves. The company is now preparing for “An Evening of One-Acts” in August. Auditions will be held this Friday. Check the Flying Muskrats Theatre Company web site for details.

It will be interesting to see how the Flying Muskrats evolves over time after their inaugural production.

Photo Gallery

To Cheat or Not To Cheat	The Dry Cleaners
To Cheat or Not To Cheat	A Children’s Story

Photos provided by The Flying Muskrat Theatre Company

Productions

A Children’s Story
Performed by Wes Johnson and Matt Nordan

Deputy Dog Comedy Troupe
Featuring: C.J. McCraken, Zach Goubeaux, Will Craun, Julian Rosen, Riley McGrath, Mitchell Kohlhass, Alice Boyers, and Brennan Jones

Possums Anonymous
Written by Matt Nordan and Directed by Jimmy Miller

• Nolan: Mark Zubaly
• Ferdinand: Sam Johnson
• Michael: Zack Camp
• Leo: Da-Linh Dinh
• Miss Stewart/Assistant Director: Melanie Reuter

The Dry Cleaners
Written by Wes Johnson and Stacy Ficerai and Performed by Brennan Jones and Melanie Reuter

A Lover’s Quarrel
Written by by Brennan Jones and Directed by Catherine Kiesel

• Boy: Brennan Jones
• Girl: Jill O’Gara
• Girl’s Understudy: Ava Hockenberry

Southeastern Airlines
Written by Wes Johnson and James L. Jones
Performed by Sam Johnson

To Cheat or Not To Cheat
Written by Jimmy Miller and Directed by Brennan Jones

• Mrs. Goldberg: Melanie Reuter
• John: Mark Zubaly
• Eugene: Brennan Jones
• Angel: J.D. Moreno
• Devin: Olivia Budzik
• Stage Manager: Stephanie Miller

Crew

• Producer: Susan Kidd
• Stage Manager: Stephanie Miller
• Run Crew Head: Ava Hockenberry
• Run Crew: Krista Plaugher
• Backstage Manager: Matthew Brehm
• Program: Katie Davidson
• Lobby: Boris Mewborn
• Usher: Adam Moreno

Disclaimer: The Flying Muskrat Theatre Company provided a complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.