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Completely Hollywood: To Laugh or not to Laugh |
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Written by Rebecca LaPole, for NEXTnc
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Thursday, 02 November 2006 |
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 Co-owner of the Reduced Shakespeare Co. and writer/director of “Completely Hollywood (abridged),” he enjoys taking dense subject matter and cutting it down for audiences of all ages.
“ ‘Completely Hollywood (abridged)’ combines and reduces around 180 different movies, from silent films to the talkies to the noisies, from ‘Birth of a Nation’ to ‘Death of a President,’ ” said Tichenor.
 The company’s style and motto — “Fast, funny and physical” — were established from the group’s first production, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).”
“Everyone started asking us, ‘What else have you done?’ So we took ‘reduced’ as the most important part of our name and started reducing things other than Shakespeare,” Tichenor said.
Reduced Shakespeare Co. is always a three-person comedy team.
“Like Groucho, Harpo and Chipo or Curly, Moe and Larry,” said Tichenor. “I love that I get to play the star. I’m like the talkative Harpo.”
He describes “Completely Hollywood” as “a cock-eyed history of Hollywood,” where the characters work to create their own masterpiece.
“They fight over what clichés to put in and leave out of their movie,” he said.
In addition to the stage, Tichenor also lands recurring roles on TV shows “24” and “Alias.”
“On TV I always play jerks, pessimistic doctors and lawyers, so I like to let loose and have fun on stage with RSC.”
“Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired  (abridged)” is a new book written by Tichenor and Reed Martin.
“It’s basically ‘Shakespeare by Dummies’, ” Tichenor said.
In December there are plans to start weekly podcasts that convey the backstage and on-stage ridiculousness, as well as answer fan questions.
“I have a low boredom threshold, so I like bouncing around from medium to medium. Acting on stage caters to my desire for TV roles, and that lends me to write a book,” he said.
“Completely Hollywood” caters to family audiences. It’s fun for all ages, and that’s rewarding for Tichenor.
“You get to hear different people laugh at different parts within the show,” he said. “All our shows come with a PG-13 rating, meaning pretty good if you’re 13.”
Rebecca LaPole is a freelance writer who lives in Fort Collins. | Only registered users can write comments.
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