Hartford Stage will present The Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) for a limited engagement run in June

“Audacious, often outrageous and bawdy; the frantic pacing reminds you of an old-time burlesque or vaudeville review.” Boston Stages

Tickets go on sale Friday, November 29

Hartford, CT – November 27, 2019 – Who knew that cavemen told “rock rock” jokes or that Molière was a comedian? Audiences will discover these untold secrets and more when Hartford Stage presents The Reduced Shakespeare Company in The Complete History of Comedy (abridged), written and directed by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, for a limited engagement run, June 11-21. Tickets will go on sale Friday, November 29.

“Laughter is the best medicine, the best exercise for the soul. Shakespeare writes in Pericles, we must "prepare for mirth" so I'm thrilled that Hartford Stage is preparing to welcome genuine mirth with the Reduced Shakespeare Company and their Complete History of Comedy (abridged),” said Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen.

From highbrow to lowbrow, and everything in between, The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) covers comedy through the ages. Enjoy fast and furious funny from such sources as Aristophanes and Shakespeare and Molière to Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to The Daily Show and Drunk History.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company has created eleven world-renowned stage shows, two television specials, several failed TV pilots, and numerous radio pieces, all of which have been performed, seen, and heard the world over. The Company’s itinerary has included stops Off-Broadway, at the White House, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s West End, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre and Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, as well as performances in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Singapore and Bermuda, plus countless civic and university venues throughout the USA, the UK, and Europe.

Tickets for all shows start at $25. Student tickets: $20. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For tickets, please call the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.

Reed Martin

Austin Tichenor

HARTFORD STAGE

Hartford Stage enters its 56th season beginning an exciting new chapter. Newly-appointed Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider will continue the theatre’s legacy of artistic excellence by creating theatrical works that enlighten, entertain, and educate.

Renowned for producing innovative revivals of classics, as well as provocative new plays and musicals, Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Additional national recognition includes honors from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, American Theatre Wing (OBIE), and the New York Critics Circle.

Hartford Stage has produced over 80 world and North American premieres, including the new musicalAnastasia, which enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical; and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other notable premieres include The Engagement Party by Samuel Baum; Make Believe by Bess Wohl; The Age of Innocence by Douglas McGrath; Seder by Sarah Gancher; Rear Window, adapted by Keith Reddin, and starring Kevin Bacon; An Opening in Time by Christopher Shinn; Reverberation by Matthew Lopez; Big Dance Theatre’s Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; and Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty. Nationally-renowned titles include the New York transfers of Enchanted April; The Orphans’ Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); The Carpetbagger’s Children;and Tea at Five.The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Hartford Stage’s offerings include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses.

The leading provider of theatre education programs in Connecticut, Education @ Hartford Stage offers student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for students (ages 3-18) and adults, afterschool programs and professional development courses. Education @ Hartford Stage programming reaches approximately 21,000 Connecticut students annually.

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