SHERBURNE – Sherburne Music-Theater Society (SMTS) has big summer plans. To help celebrate their 40th anniversary they have two shows in rehearsal right now. The first is the comical three-man show, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” at The Palace in Hamilton, on July 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. The second is “Seussical the Musical,” based on the fabulous works of Dr. Seuss. This will go on the S-E High School stage Aug. 15, 16 and 17. Both will help mark 40 years of community theatre in Chenango County for SMTS.

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is a whirlwind roller coaster tribute to the immortal bard. Three actors, Adrian Enscoe, Joe Mettler and Tyler Rundell, take on the daunting task of performing 37 plays and 154 sonnets in under two hours, illuminating the world of Shakespeare through the use of football, swordplay and hip-hop music. Irreverent and hilarious, this comedy, directed by Colleen Law-Tefft with assistance from Anna Fagan, is a refreshing blend of madcap humor that includes everything from puns and pratfalls to elaborate sight gags.

Written in 1987 by the original founders of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Daniel Singer, Jess Winfield and Adam Long, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” underwent many years of metamorphosis before its formal publishing in the United State in 1996. A smash hit Off-Broadway as well as the longest running comedy in London, Shakespeare (Abridged) is “Very funny! Impossible to resist!” (New York Times).