‘The Complete History of America (abridged)’ covers a lot of ground in hilarious fashion

As promised in the Wheat Ridge Theatre Company program for The Complete History of America (abridged), the production presents 600 years of American history in just over two hours. Anything that happened in the last six centuries is fair game for coverage, including a broad spectrum of uplifting and not-so-uplifting topics.

The comedy is from the troupe that created the original Complete History of Shakespeare (Abridged). Written by Adam Long, Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin and directed here by Mellisa Taylor, it’s a marathon from start to finish.

The tireless trio of performers — including Camilo Luera, Kayleigh Hudson and Tara Spires — get to work on U.S. history, squeezing out every possible laugh along the way. Filled with off-color humor, the story begins with Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer, his wife Sophia, and the discovery of America. (Funny, I always thought it was Christopher Columbus we had to thank for our homeland.)

We travel through time swiftly, tearing apart much of our country’s history. The play moves forward to George Washington, colonial America and the establishment of our democracy. Was Thomas Jefferson really a lush?

One section that’s a bit questionable is graphic recounting of Lincoln’s assassination. Although this moment drew laughter from the near sell-out crowd, it seemed to be more of an uncomfortable laughter than anything else. But given the event was nearly 160 years ago, “too soon” wouldn’t seem to apply, and it’s all done to elicit laughter from the audience.

Modern times

There is a humorous segment in the trenches of World War I, and we are treated to the music of the early- to mid-20th century. Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal are not spared, and then we move forward to an assassination attempt, this time with Ronald Reagan. This gets a bit closer to our own time, and in a country with almost daily mass shootings, I didn’t find this bit  particularly funny.

Audience participation opportunities include a mock game show that turned three unsuspecting audience members into momentary celebrities. Unfortunately, the audience went silent when it came to coaxing questions out of them for impromptu responses from the energized cast. It was a missed opportunity, since the cast displayed ease with audience interaction and improvisation.

As directed by Mellisa Taylor, the overall production is a crowd-pleaser from beginning to end. With the help of her capable cast, Taylor manages to land most of the laughs in the script through comedic timing and fast-paced blocking. Her generosity as a director allowed the performers to stay in the moment, providing an impressive collaboration between the director, the cast and the audience.

The Complete History of America (abridged) is a Wheat Ridge Theatre Company winner and runs through April 21.