FOR a whistlestop tour of the works of our greatest playwright, complete with skulls, skirts, tights and daggers, you'll be wanting the Reduced Shakespeare Company, who visit Wales next week, with performances at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, and the Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale.

Described as a unique and hysterical tribute to the great bard, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged), ventures forth after six years and over 2,000 shows in the West End.

The RSC - consisting of just three actors - have shrunk Will's wit and wisdom into manageable morsels of madness, as they tear around the stage in tights and trainers.

They actually touch on everyone of Shakespeare's plays and a few of his poems during their 97 minutes on stage and have garnered a raft of rave reviews from the big dailies - The Times for one considered the show "spine-crackingly funny."

The company - performers Time Beckman, Eduardo Enrikez, Richard Lynson and writers Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield - came into being in San Francisco in 1981and apparently lived on handouts from "confused members of the public" who were accosted in streets and alleys.

Word has it they came to Britain in 1987 because they heard the surfing was good, and have been saving for the return ticket ever since.

Make of that what you will, they have certainly carved out a hilarious and original niche for themselves, and it doesn't stop there. The company have also produced The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), which they performed at the Gielgud Theatre in 1997, and The Complete History of America (abridged).

On radio, the BBC World Service aired their six-part series, The Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show in 1994, and the company condensed Gone With the Wind Two - Scarlet Fever, for BBC Radio 4.

To cap it all, the Complete Works of Shakespeare was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 1997.

If you tired sitting through four hours of Hamlet, why not catch it performed backwards in half a minute.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) is at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, on Thursday October 4. The show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are priced at £11.50/£10.50. On Friday, October 5, it plays at the Beaufort Theatre in Ebbw Vale. Again, the show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are priced at £8/£6.

Box office for Brecon: 01874 611622; for The Beaufort: 01495 302112.