THE Bible is, among other things, a rather long book.
So anyone seeking to encapsulate the major elements of the world's biggest best seller into a couple of hours has got a challenge on their hands.
Thankfully the Reduced Shakespeare Company are the original bad boys of abridgment and they are back
on the road with fast-paced show called The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged).
This irreverent celebration of "the greatest story ever accepted as fact" arrives at Buxton Opera House next Tuesday and The Venue, Stocksbridge on Thursday.
Penned by Americans Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor and described equally as "a relentlessly enjoyable romp" and "a miracle of miniaturization", The Complete Word is an affectionate, slick and swift ride from fig leaves to Final Judgment.
The three cultural guerrillas from California tackle such great theological questions as did Adam and Eve have navels? Did Moses really look like Charlton Heston? And why isn't the word "phonetic" spelled the way it sounds?
The anarchic show is directed by RSC veteran Matt Rippy, better known to UK audiences for roles in such TV shows as Torchwood and current hit movies Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight. He's been with the company since 1996 in various guises
The show has now had two successful West End runs and toured to 12 countries.
"One year in Edinburgh a minister from the Church of Scotland saw the show and told us it was better than the book," says Martin.
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