WAILUA — Who says that Americans don’t know their history? “The Complete History of America (abridged)” combines slapstick comedy and historical misinterpretations to boil down 50,000 years of American history in 90 minutes. The comedy runs 7 p.m. every Tuesday
WAILUA — Who says that Americans don’t know their history?
“The Complete History of America (abridged)” combines slapstick comedy and historical misinterpretations to boil down 50,000 years of American history in 90 minutes.
The comedy runs 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Aston Aloha Beach Resort in Wailua. The non-historical historical play, which was originally performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, stars Ross Martineau, Nellie Foster and Jeff Demma. These three hilarious comedians race through a mountain of material like a well-oiled machine to tell every joke in the book.
While it’s a smart production, don’t expect the truth — expect a lot of confused facts, including how George Washington’s spelling mistake recruited a bunch of tiny (minute) soldiers, that our Founding Fathers wanted to draw up a Bill of Wrongs (Article 3 forbids people we barely know from sending ‘amusing’ emails) and that the Civil War killed more men named Zeke than any war in history.
From the beginning, the play takes the stereotype that Americans are historically ignorant and runs with it.
A minimal set allows the actors to race through history using a mammoth amount of props, including Supersoaker water guns that no one can escape.
It’s amazing that this energetic and versatile trio never drops a line, whether its Martineau and Demma providing a vaudeville account of Lewis and Clark’s exploration or Foster guiding us through a film noir-style conspiracy that wraps up the last 50 years of history.
There is plenty room for plenty of ad-libbing, including a few digs against Kapa‘a traffic and crowing roosters.
“We never stop working on the show,” Demma said. “We give each other notes after the show. We’re always working on tweaking things, so no two shows are alike.”
Past jokes include riffs on Lady Gaga, the debt ceiling and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
While some of the gags are not politically correct — audience members will be horrified to learn that American is a loaded word — the production is intelligent and well-researched.
Demma and Martineau, who run Oceanside Productions, were inspired to produce a weekly show after a successful showing of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” in 2008.
They decided on “The Complete History of America (abridged),” and it has been staged at the Courtyard by Marriott at Coconut Beach, the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort and is now based at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel.
Tickets for “The Complete History of America (abridged)” are $69 for children under 12, $79 for adults and $99 for VIP seating. Price of admission includes a three-course meal at The Palms restaurant located at the resort. Kama‘aina theater tickets are $25 with proof of Hawai‘i residency.
See “The Complete History of America (abridged)” at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel located at 3-5920 Kuhio Hwy in Wailua. Performances are 7 p.m. Tuesdays.
For more information visit www.optheater.com or call 212-8444.
• Andrea Frainier, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or afrainier@ thegardenisland.com.
