If you are the Reduced Shakespeare Company and you have reduced all of the bard’s work? Well, after taking on the English language’s biggest writer, the Reduced Shakespeare Company takes on the English language’s biggest book and greatest best seller.
If you are Uproar, a label that specializes in great comedy, you release The Bible: The Bible, The Complete Word of God, Abridged. Can the bible make for funny skits and funny comedy? Well, yes. Is this CD the Complete Word of God? Well, no. How abridged is it? Very, very abridged.
This is not the first time the bible has been a source for funny stories and funny skits. The all-time classic example is the brilliant Bill Cosby triptych Noah on his Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow, Right! cd. It would be unrealistic to expect any other comedian or comedy troupe to be able to top that one so do not expect The Reduced Shakespeare Company to do so either. On its own, however, The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s version of the bible is not bad at all. Now, you definitely cannot blame the author, I mean, really! So, the not bad at all is definitely the responsibility of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. The Bible: The Complete Word of God, Abridged could be a little tighter and would probably be much better had it been recorded live instead of in a studio somewhere. This comedy cd and the funny skits and funny stories in it are the result of many concerts and months of touring but there are moments on this cd where the Reduced Shakespeare Company gets a little self-indulgent and out of control. Some of the jokes are somewhat repetitive and some of the ongoing bits are not really that interesting.
Is The Bible: The Complete Word Of God, Abridged funny? Well, it depends. If you are a weekend or bi-annual churchgoer, somewhat familiar with the bible itself, yes it is. It is in a National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live kind of way. If you are a fundamentalist, nothing in or about the bible is funny, so there.
Perhaps the interest in this comedy cd by the Reduced Shakespeare Company is in the curiosity most people familiar with their reduced Shakespeare work in finding out if this comedy group can actually manage to take on the great book.
Comparisons to Saturday Night Live or National Lampoon are quite appropriate here. Those familiar with either SNL or National Lampoon will readily admit that some of their funny skits go on too long and are sometimes very immature. This is also true for this comedy cd by the Reduced Shakespeare Comedy. Overall, however, it is a decent comedy cd by a sketch comedy group. Perhaps those who enjoy sketch comedy more than stand up comedy will enjoy this comedy cd more than I did.
The Bible: the Complete Word of God Abridged
Reduced Shakespeare Company
Stand-up comedy CD
Uproar
Related Posts
- 77Fans of jokes about growing up will most definitely enjoy this comedy CD.