ONLINE EXCLUSIVE — Three men condensing 86 of the Great Books from “1984” to “The Wizard of Oz” into a 90-minute comedy segment seems unlikely. However, The Reduced Shakespeare Company comedy troupe plans to do just that as it performs in Smothers Theatre at 8 p.m. on Oct. 14 during Waves Weekend.
Great Books professor Michael Gose and some staff Pepperdine alumni chose the group to perform “All the Great Books (abridged)” in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Great Books Colloquium.
“It’s fun to see that a group can shine a comedic light on books that we spend so much time reading,” Kellie Kamimoto said. The freshman Great Books student shared her excitement for the comedy troupe’s performance.
According to Smothers box office worker sophomore Danalit Rangel, tickets have been selling well thus far. Students can purchase tickets for $10 with a student ID. For the general public, ticket prices range from $20 to $50 with tax included.
The group has seven shows total which they have performed in theaters around the world, such as in Great Britain and Sweden.
“They are relevant, and also terribly entertaining,” Gose said. “I saw them during what has been a very long run [of their shows] in London.
“The company has a very irreverent, yet eventually extremely appreciative of and indebted to the classics, a bit of a Monty Python feel, so perhaps some viewers should be warned?”
In addition to The Reduced Shakespeare Comedy Company’s performance, events like classes, discussion groups and a symposium with Gose will be going on from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Great Books.
Current Great Books students can take part in the anniversary celebration for free. Alumni, faculty and friends must pay $15 to attend the events.
The Great Books program has been taught at Pepperdine since the fall of 1986. Former Great Books student Curt Portzel thought of the idea for the 25th year anniversary celebration, according to Gose.
“I am delighted to get behind this good idea, especially in support of [Portzel],” Gose said. “The joy of seeing former students will only be tempered by the regret each and every former student cannot join us.”
