The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s “The Complete World of Sports (abridged),” at the Kennedy Center will appeal both to dedicated sports fans and to anyone who would rather watch a Marx Brothers movie than watch a football, tennis, basketball or baseball game. The reason is that the show is not about sports at all. It’s about the delicious anarchy that is generated onstage by the three imaginative actors who make up the Reduced Shakespeare Company (Reed Martin, Matt Rippy and Austin Tichenor) whenever they decide to turn their comedic attention to a particular subject. They have previously satirized Hollywood, Shakespeare, the history of America, great books, even the Bible.
Martin, Tichenor and Rippy announce at the beginning of the show that they intend to address every form of sport or game existing on every continent, finishing with a salute to the grandest tribute to sports ever invented: the Olympics. And they come pretty close to their goal, even including mention of some borderline offerings, like Quiddich, lumberjacking and other esoteric sports.
| Onstage |
| ‘The Complete World of Sports abridged’ |
| Where: The Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., N.W. |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; 2 p.m. July 13. No performance July 14. Through July 24 |
| Info: $39 to $49, 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org |
The success of “Complete World of Sports” depends, to a large extent, on the relaxed, almost improvisational atmosphere that exists onstage, contrasted with the very fast-paced, precision-timed comic turns that have been scripted and directed by Tichenor and Martin and carefully rehearsed by all three cast members. As they hurtle through, these skilled comedians demonstrate the critical nature of teamwork itself.
The actors begin by remembering mankind’s earliest sports. Baseball is illustrated by a caveman hitting a rock with a club and running sports are illustrated by a caveman being chased by a bear. But the format of the show does more than demonstrate the historical development of sports. Tichenor, Martin and Rippy also consider the value of sports: do we love them for the thrill of the competition or for their intellectual component, as in, for example, curling?
There are lots of jokes at the expense of baseball and its “relaxed” nature. But then nothing is sacred to the Reduced Shakespeare Company, so Monday Night Football comes in for a ribbing, as do March Madness, performance enhancing drugs, sponsorships, rodeo riding, and the overblown rhetoric of sportscasters. No sports or games slip away without a sarcastic comment.
This is a very low-tech show, with costumes basically restricted to sports shirts, knee pads and the occasional wig. But as with all of their other shows, the Reduced Shakespeare Company does not require a lot of fancy paraphernalia to make its points. All it really needs is an audience willing to explore the limits of silliness, laugh like crazy and enjoy a rousing chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
