Reduce and Rejoice: The Bible in 90 Minutes

A few years back, the Reduced Shakespeare Company's 90-minute show, "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)," got the troupe hauled before the Supreme Court of Ireland to face allegations of blasphemy.

"So the justices came to see the show," relates "Bible" co-author and Reduced Shakespeare veteran Austin Tichenor, "and they said, 'It's like Monty Python's "Life of Brian." It's not blasphemous; it's just juvenile.' And we said, 'Hey, that's great -- can we put that on our poster?' "

It may not be blasphemous, but it is irreverent. As Tichenor and company point out, "The Bible," at the Lansburgh Theatre through April 13, is full of sex, violence and silliness. Most of it is G-rated, though Tichenor warns, mock-solemnly, that "the play is offensive in places: We start out in nothing but fig leaves, and the sight of us in fig leaves is pretty offensive, believe me."

"Us," as is traditional with Reduced Shakespeare shows, is three actors impersonating a cast of thousands. The Last Supper starts to look like musical chairs, and the story of Noah's Ark requires audience participation. (You have been warned.)

Tichenor and his co-conspirators, Jerry Kernion and Dominic Conti, don a series of wigs, beards, chest wigs, sunglasses, artificial limbs, false teeth, wings, halos and a stovepipe hat (for Father Abraham, naturally). Other props include baby dolls, baseball mitts, flaming juggling torches, the tablets of the Top Ten Rejected Commandments, the ax of the Apostles and a tin of Spam.

Much of the show is sung, which makes it a lot easier to get through the many generations of "begattin'." Another song helps sort out which prophet is Elijah and which is Elisha, which Joseph had a multi-colored coat, which John lost his head ("I ain't got no-body") and which Madonna is, well, you know. The Tower of Babel becomes a soap opera in Japanese and Spanish; the Three Wise Men find Mary thanks to the front page of the Star ("Virgin Mary has space alien's baby in Bethlehem") and Jacob, the Angel Gabriel, Samson and the Philistine roll about in a WWE tag-team spoof. A few of Jesus's miracles are reproduced -- more or less.

Tichenor does most of the narration and, like Charlton Heston, gets to be both Moses and the voice of God. But his favorite moments are what might be called the sweet spots.

"Every once in a while we like to stop the madness on stage and just go with the beauty of the poetry," Tichenor says. "In 'Shakespeare,' we do 'What a piece of work is man,' and people are astounded. In Act I [of 'The Bible'], there's a spot where we quote some of the Psalms, and it's really lovely."

In Act II, Tichenor says, they have to deal with the crucifixion and resurrection, and that, too, is simply narrated. But that doesn't prevent the Easter Bunny from showing up. As Tichenor says, they had to come up with an humorous exit. "And Monty Python already took 'Always Look on the Bright Side,' so . . . .

"But we aren't out to make fun of anyone's religion," he says. "It's a celebration of our greatest tradition, and what better way to celebrate than to get together and laugh?"

For 27 years, the Reduced Shakespeare Company has been celebrating not just the word of God but Shakespeare, Wagner, the great books, the rise and fall of Western civilization and Hollywood. One of its most popular shows is "The Complete History of America (abridged)," which will alternate at the Lansburgh with "The Bible."

"We don't have to keep reducing the Bible, because they've stopped writing it," Tichenor says. "But they keep rewriting American history, so we have to keep at that one."

In fact, tracking current events has inspired the troupe to try an even more condensed form of its craft: Tichenor says Reduced Shakespeare is shopping the pilot of a current affairs satire for TV, to be called, naturally, "The Week Reduced." Stay tuned.

Reduced Shakespeare Company Lansburgh Theater, 450 Seventh St. NW 202-547-1122. www.shakespearetheatre.org. Through April 13. $40-$53 Reduced Shakespeare Company Lansburgh Theater, 450 Seventh St. NW 202-547-1122. www.shakespearetheatre.org. Through April 13. $40-$53