Adam Long, Reed Martina and Austin Tichenor have created a whole library of (abridged) comedies: The Complete History of America and The Bible - The Complete Word of God. But it all began with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, a piece the trio is returning to with a PBS special and a U.S. tour, beginning March 30 in Colorado.

The one-hour "Reduced Shakespeare" will air in the U.S. and Canada in March. In the special, Long, Martin and Tichenor open with Romeo and Juliet before traipsing through a rap Othello, Titus Andronicus as a cooking show, the comedies as a football game and Hamlet as a final audience participation send-up. "Reduced Shakespeare" was filmed in December 2000. before a live audience in Vancouver.

The Reduced Shakespeare Spring, 2001 tour follows:

March 30: Avon, CO; Vilar Center for the Arts
April 6: Palm Springs, CA; Palm Springs Desert Museum
April 8: Fullerton, CA; Cal State Fullerton
April 14: Madison, WI; Madison Civic Center
April 18: LaCrosse, WI; Viterbo College
April 20: Stamford, CT; Stamford Center for the Arts
April 21-22: Foxboro, MA; Orpheum Theatre
April 26: Coral Springs, FL; Coral Springs City Centre
April 27: Ft. Myers, FL; Barbara Mann Performing Arts Center
April 28: Purchase, NY; Purchase College SUNY
May 7-9: Reston, VA; Reston Community Center
May 14: Princeton, NJ; McCarter Theatre

For tickets, contact the individual venues. For the "Reduced Shakespeare" special, check with local PBS and CBC affiliates. — By Christine Ehren