“The Complete History of America (abridged)" at St. Ambrose University -- October 30 through November 8.
Friday, October 30, through Sunday, November 8
St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center Studio Theatre, 2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport IA
Hailed by the New York Times as "a breathlessly paced" slapstick boasting "silly vaudeville sketches, word-association games, puns, and crude parodies of movie and television genres," the Reduced Theatre Company's The Complete History of America (abridged) enjoys an October 30 through November 8 run at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Student Theatre, The Gazette adding that "history has never been this much fun."
Written by the trio of Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor, The Complete History of America (abridged) takes audiences on a wildly entertaining journey through the entire history of America, all in just 100 laugh-packed minutes. From Washington to Watergate, from the Bering Straits to Baghdad, from the New World to a New World Order, this comedy sensation serves as a roller coaster ride through the glorious quagmire that is American history, reminding us that it’s not the length of your history that matters – it’s what you’ve done with it. As the Washington Post's Pamels Sommers stated: "Just as the company’s members good-naturedly bash the Bard in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), so do they cheerfully run riot over five-hundred years of our country’s history. ... [They] mine dozens of landmark events and trends for comic gold … . Not only do they know how to give American history an irreverent boost, they actually turn it into something accessible and alive.”
Serving as director for The Complete History of America (abridged) is St. Ambrose alumnus Dave Bonde, an area comedian, actor, and director of such productions as Losers Bracket for the Black Box Theatre, A Doll's House, Part 2 for the QC Theatre Workshop, and Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind for SAU. Bella Vitale and Taylor Griffin act as the show's student stage-management team, and an octet of gifted St. Ambrose students compose the slapstick's ensemble: Claire Banks, Faith Foley, Paloma Lopez, Makayla Meier, Trinity Merrick, Rylan Moore, Zach Ulmer, and Shayla White.
The Complete History of America (abridged) runs in the Studio Theatre of St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center October 30 through November 8, with performances Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Halloween. Admission is $10-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)333-6251 and visiting the show's Facebook page.
