The Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform a new version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford from March 30 to April 2.

Directed and co-written by Adam Long, it is an updated and reinvented comic rollercoaster ride through all 37 of the Bard’s plays.

The original version ran for nine years in the West End, spawned two television specials and has been performed in more than 20 countries.

The cast of four are Efé Agwele (A Family Business, UK tour; Thrown, National Theatre of Scotland; Hamlet, National Theatre Studios; Mad House, Ambassadors Theatre), Woogie Jung (Caged Sisters Musical, Camden Fringe; Calling, Hoxton Hall), Tom Pavey, who is studying for a DPhil in biology at Oxford University - investigating the impact of anthropogenic climate change on lions across time - and making his professional theatre debut, and Kiran Raywilliams (Anarkia, High Tide Theatre; Run Rebel, UK tour; and Henry V, Young Shakespeare Company).

Adam Long said: “Years ago, when we first started reducing Shakespeare in San Francisco, we experimented with performing Shakespeare’s plays backwards in the hope that we might understand them better that way.

“In London last month we were lucky enough to witness an exciting work-in-progress production devised by Efé, Woogie, Tom and Kiran. It was an immersive contemporary art/dance-fusion piece based on Troilus and Cressida, climaxing with an appearance by an electronic Godzilla. We immediately knew that we’d found four kindred spirits.”

Presented by The Theatre Chipping Norton and Selladoor Worldwide, and written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, this 2026 production has set and costume design by Liz Cooke, lighting by Alexandra Stafford and movement direction by Amy Lawrence.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company began as a street theatre troupe in San Francisco Bay in the 1980s, busking 15-minute versions of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet to earn a living.

Most of the performances were at Renaissance Faires, where the Reduced Shakespeare Company often had to share its stage with belly dancers and sheep.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987, at 10am in a church basement. From there, the Reduced Shakespeare Company was invited to perform in Montreal, Tokyo, New York and London.

After several world tours, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) landed at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, where it ran for nine years.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) team holds two Guinness World Records.

It staged the highest-altitude Shakespearean performance on April 23, 2014 - Shakespeare’s birthday - when it performed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at 37,000 feet aboard an EasyJet flight from Gatwick to Verona.

It also staged the longest-running Shakespeare play in the West End, notching up 3,744 performances from its opening night on March 7, 1996, until it closed on April 3, 2005.

There will be performances at 7.30pm every evening, and at 2.30pm on April 1. For tickets, priced from £29 (concessions £15), call 01483 440000 or visit www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk