The play is a scattershot, slapstick race through the Shakespeare catalog, from As You Like It to A Winter's Tale, with time left over for the odd sonnet, The Compleat Works. Performers roar through the great works of English literature at a dragster pace. The play opens today at the Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre.

``We keep pushing to make this faster,'' said Steve Walpert, the production director. ``A good part of the humor depends on the tempo of the piece. If you play it at normal speed, well, it's funny. But it doesn't have the same quality if you play it with that urgency.''

Originally written and performed by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long and Daniel Singer, the play doesn't have a traditional plot or characters. The three-man cast interacts with the audience and switches costumes and roles frequently, playing themselves as often as they play Hamlet or Falstaff.

``When you're talking to the audience, you can't really play a part,'' said cast member John Gary Pullen. ``You are reciting lines as they are written. Well, kind of. We actually have adjusted lines and adapted them to our own speech patterns.''

While the play pokes obvious fun at the language of Shakespeare, it derives much of its humor from physical comedy, which takes a great deal of training.

Tere Luke (from top), Russ Harlan and Gary Pullen are the three-man cast of The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (abridged). MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

``That's been kind of interesting,'' Mr. Walpert said. ``The other day we had a rehearsal and didn't get to the body of the play for about an hour and a half. First we had a cheerleader in to work with the cast, and then a couple of students to work on a rap section, and then a fencing coach. Each of these little specialty things takes a lot of time.''

Much of the humor comes from the perceived relationship of the cast members.

``The nice thing about it that Steve has allowed us to pull things and develop things that have gone on between the four of us,'' said cast member Tere Luke. ``It's truly a collaborative effort. It's not the kind of thing where one person outshines.''

The actors agreed that by essentially playing themselves, they could make The Compleat Works something of an open theatrical canvas, a theatrical laboratory where they can tweak and tune performances.

``I've never, as an actor, had an experience like this,'' said cast member Russ Harlan. ``I've never done anything where I felt totally free to do anything, not like this.''

Mr. Walpert said that the comic thumbnail sketches of Shakespeare's plays are the work of the Bard in name only. He contends that Shakespeare would approve of the liberties taken.

``Even though we don't treat his tragedies and dramas as such, Shakespeare did have a very earthy sense of humor,'' he said. ``I think he would have found this a lot of fun.''

On stage

What: The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged), presented by the Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre

When: 7 tonight and Saturday night, May 11-12 and 17-19

Where: Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre, Building 32100 on Third Avenue, Fort Gordon

Admission: $24-$27. Call 793-8552.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626.