"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Montana Actors' Theatre-Great Falls, Aug. 31

Levon Allen, Josh Wendt and Bob MacNamee perform a scene from "The Complete Works of Willam Shakespeare (Abriged)

Last night at the MAT, I experienced several oddly specific theater firsts.

I was kicked out of my seat so one of the actors could sit in it. I was (fake) puked on, twice, by Mr. Levon Allen, and I was asked to run laps back and forth on stage during the second act. I thought it all was great fun.

This script calls for audience participation just at the right moment, in my estimation. From a director's standpoint, you need to have the audience on board totally with you or else it won't work. Once they're invested in the story, then you can get them to do anything, almost.

A big part of what makes it work is the fact that Levon, Bob MacNamee and Josh Wendt have great onstage chemistry.

Which is good, because it's hard to perform all of Shakespeare's plays at once, sort of, if all of the actors aren't on board together.

Much of the performance is dedicated to parodying Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Some of the other plays are mixed in, as well, but aren't given as much time. They're still funny and effective in their condensed versions.

There's also several popular references, subtle Shakespeare references and physical gags. All and all it's a nice mix. Plus, Levon is quite funny in a dress. A man in a dress is ALWAYS funny. That should be written in the official rule book of comedy. It's never not funny, even if you try to make it so.

Thinking about it more, in a way, Josh, Bob and Levon are like conductors taking the audience on an adventure. I think that effect worked better at times than others, but more or less, the audience is as much a part of the show as the actors.

The costumes, props and lighting really were handled well, also. Sometimes in a show the props can detract from it if they don't fit in with the feel the actors are giving. For this show, however, the props and costumes fit the mood perfectly.

I also appreciated the fact that the script includes passages right from Shakespeare. At times I found myself yearning for more actual Shakespeare, but, that would've made it a different show.

Essentially this was the Naked Gun of Shakespeare. And, that's okay.

As I was leaving the theater, one of the ladies in front of me said to her friend "I haven't laughed that much consistently for a long while."

That, to me, speaks more about the play than anything I can write. That's what people will be telling their neighbors.

I've been thinking about some critical things I can say, but I can't think of many.

The weakest scene, to me, was the middle part when they read the combination of Shakespeare's comedies from the sheet-music stands. About midway through it, I found myself waiting for them to get back to the physical acting.

I guess it created a contrast. I'm just not sure it's quite as effective contrast as some of the other ones they used. But, it still had it's funny lines that engaged the audience. Maybe just the stands between the actors and the audience created a barrier, ever so subtle, that made the difference.

All and all, though, this is a quality show. Levon, Josh and Bob are all confident in their performances. It's a small thing, maybe, but it makes a big difference.

I recommend seeing "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). It only shows for one more weekend, so catch it while you can.