Written by DCist Theater Reviewer Missy Frederick.

When doing a live show, performers inevitably have to contend with slip-ups and unforeseen circumstances. Sometimes, these mistakes can provide the opportunity for an epic recovery that outshines the original material: think of Gilbert Gottfried’s masterful telling of the infamous “Aristocrats” joke after his 9-11 humor was bombing at the Friar’s Club Roast of Hugh Hefner. Other actors aren’t quite as quick on their feet, and flubs devolve into barely-stifled giggles, blank stares and the complete unravelling of a performance (read: any time Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz appear in the same Saturday Night Live sketch.)

One would think the seasoned Reduced Shakespeare Company would easily sail through the occasional misstep. And the loose, improv-like nature of their latest effort at the Kennedy Center, All The Great Books (Abridged), certainly lends itself to casual hilarity and on-the-spot revision. Unfortunately, last night, the troupe did not seem to have their wits about them.

Struggling the most was Dominic Conti, usually a strong comic performer whose lanky build, pitch-perfect deadpan and goofy naivety all served the production well. Unfortunately, the guy couldn’t stop from frequently breaking character to laugh, and at one point, completely lost his place in the act. As a result, there were about ten minutes of desperate improv from his contemporaries, finally resulting in some panicked whispers to help get the show back on track. A mess-up here or there rarely ruins a performance, but from that point forward, the three-man troupe seemed nervous and off-beat, marring the effortless feel that the production had achieved up to that point.