Elk's Club Hosts Lively Shakespeare Spoof

The 400 year-old prose of the immortal Bard himself, William Shakespeare, was alive and well recently in Massapequa. Well, sort of.

The Inspired Artists Theatre Company, a group of three actors (Jordan Hue, Carl Nehring, and Evan Donnellan), performed their unique take on Elizabethan theater performing an energetic parody of Shakespeare's work entitled "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)."

Skeeter Boxberger, head of the newly-established company, said in not so subtle fashion that the play is accessible and fun for all.

"It's like Shakespeare for Dummies," he said. "But if you're up on your Shakespeare, you'll get all the little ins-and-outs, too."

"At its heart, the show is very intelligent and well-meaning," actor Carl Nehring added. "It's also a little offensive, but in a good way."

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is a fraternal organization dedicated to charitable causes. The purpose of the event was to raise money for the New York chapter's primary charity: Cerebral Palsy.

Richie Smith, the Elk's publicity chairman for the district, went over the other ways they help the community.

"We give out more scholarships than almost anyone- second only to the United States Government," he said. "And we never take a nickel back."

The Elk Club also sponsors drug awareness programs and supports local veterans.

The fundraiser started with a buffet dinner, followed afterwards by the play, which included audience participation.

The first act covered 36 of Shakespeare's plays, and took artistic liberties such as portraying Titus Andronicus as a cooking show, Othello as a rap song, and combining all 16 of The Bard's comedies into one sketch called "The Love Boat Goes to Verona."

The second act focused on a zany adaptation of what many consider to be the shining jewel of Shakespeare's plays: Hamlet.

Sue Tanenbaum was in attendance, and enjoyed the antics of the acting troupe.

"I just like the idea of it," she said of the play. "With everything around here - the city, Jones Beach, Westbury - and yet these guys decided to do Shakespeare. It's different."

Once the second act was completed, the audience was treated to three more renditions of Hamlet: fast, faster, and finally, in reverse.

Afterwards, the company was physically spent. But their effort did not go unappreciated by the audience, who clearly had the time of their lives.

Boxberger expressed that the evening's show was the first step towards realizing his dream.

"I'm trying to establish a theater right here in Massapequa," he said. "I'm scouting locations and applying for grants, doing anything and everything I can to build my way up."

"I want a place here where you can see quality entertainment," Boxberger added. "But I want to focus more on original works, so it's more for the local artists."

Artie Bayen admitted to not being up on his Shakespeare, but he still had a great time. He said that the Elk club should provide more creative events like this one.

"It's something different from anything we've had here in a long time," he said. "It's something you have to listen to, pay attention to, and I'd love to see this troupe here again in the future."