Skyline High School’s drama department will present ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), performing 37 of Shakespeare’s works in only 97 minutes. The show will be performed in the Lyceum Theatre featuring 11 students in a fast paced cornucopia of the Bard’s work.

The play feels like an improvised comedy in which actors interact directly with the audience and actually play “themselves,” as they morph in and out of all the various characters. Playwrights Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield first developed this production in 1987 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, founding the Reduced Shakespeare Company. It met instant acclaim, continuing to run for nine years in London.Many of the show’s highlights include doing the fastest (self-proclaimed) rendition of Hamlet, at 43 seconds, and a humorous parody of Shakespeare’s most famous work, Romeo and Juliet. In addition, all the female roles are played by male actors.

“This show is interactive comedy at its finest,” said director Hannah Fry. “Whether you consider yourself a Shakespeare-aficionado or have never seen any of Shakespeare’s works, this show is for you,” she said. “People tend to get scared away when they hear ‘Shakespeare’ in the title, but that shouldn’t be the case. It will make you laugh out loud right out of your seat – I guarantee it.”

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” will run Feb. 5-7 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for cash or check only. General admission is $6, Skyline staff and students $3. The play is rated PG-13. The Lyceum Theatre at Skyline High School is located at 1122 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish. For more information: fryj@issaquah.wednet.edu.