"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" View All Events (L: Jordan DeKett; back row L to R: Justin Kenyon, Ben Lane, D.J. Tetreault; front row L to R: Marla Caram and Shelby Davis.) "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" (also known as The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)) is "Shakespeare as written by Reader's Digest, acted by Monty Python, and performed at the speed of the minute waltz!" said The Los Angeles Herald. Originally written for three men, the Saint Michael's production features an ensemble of six actors performing all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in 97 minutes... "or less," said Professor Cathy Hurst.