CORVALLIS - If you're going to cover more than 80 of the greatest books in Western literature (and another half-dozen or so that maybe aren't that good) in roughly 90 minutes, you better move fast.

So it is that just five or so minutes into a rehearsal this week of "All the Great Books (abridged)," the three members of the cast already are coated with sweat.

And backstage, the woman in charge of props, Nancy Homan, is working just as hard.

Says cast member John Carone, as he watches Homan shuffle some of the props around: "That tells you everything you need to know about this show: A prop person shows up with a giant lollipop and a trident."

"In this show," adds director and cast member Jonathan Pedersen, "you don't have to be too realistic. You grab a wig, you grab a prop, you go out and you're Jane Austen."

Or George Sand. Or Leo Tolstoy. Or Alexandre Dumas, who gets treated to a low-pun mispronunciation of his last name that you probably can guess right now.

It's all part of the frenetic silliness of "All the Great Books," a relatively recent (2002) offering from California's Reduced Shakespeare Company, the same group that created "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" and has given the same reductive treatment to the Bible, American history, Hollywood and all of Western civilization. The show opens in Corvallis this weekend as part of the Majestic Theatre's Summer Performance Series.

Pedersen was part of the 2008 Albany Civic Theater production of the Shakespeare show with Carone. They had a hoot, and so did audiences. So when Pedersen was looking for a bookend (so to speak) for the Majestic's other summertime show, an adaptation of Austen's "Persuasion," "All the Great Books" seemed like a logical fit.

Carone jumped on board for the "Book" romp. Kevin Christensen, recently seen in the Linn-Benton Community College production of "A View from the Bridge," rounds out the cast.

Anyone familiar with "Shakespeare (abridged)" will have a general idea what to expect from "Great Books": It's a fast-paced romp with jokes that run the gamut from lowbrow physical comedy all the way to fairly sophisticated jibes intended mainly for people who might be familiar with a particular book.

The setting, not that it matters all that much, is a remedial high school class that must be put through its literature paces so that class members can graduate - in 90 minutes' time. Pedersen plays the drama professor - proud possessor of an associate of arts degree - who helps teach the class. Carone plays the coach who's enlisted to keep the class moving. Christensen is an enthusiastic, if tardy, student teacher.

But the setting is secondary to the riffs on the books. Some get one-line shout-outs, many in a bravura sequence near the end in which Christensen offers one-line reviews. Some get more extended treatment, such as a relatively long section with "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad" that involves a silly bit of business inspired by the "bullet-time" slow-motion effects of movies like "The Matrix." A fairly involved joke about interior monologues propels the "Ulysses" section. "Don Quixote" gets the treatment, and so does "War and Peace," in a segment which may have audience members thumbing through their copies of the book to see if the phrase "bite me" actually does appear on page 500.

As with "Shakespeare (abridged)," it's not necessary to have read the books to enjoy the show - but it won't hurt.

And Pedersen gives fair warning: The show has opportunities for audience involvement. "No one has been harmed in the making of this show," he says. "Yet."

CHECK IT OUT

"All the Great Books (abridged)" plays Saturday, Aug. 22 at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 29 at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:30 p.m.

"Persuasion" plays Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.

Where: All performances will be outdoors at Bruce Starker Arts Park in Corvallis, off of Country Club Drive and Southwest 45th Street, adjacent to Sunset Park.

Tickets: $10 per person; children under 11 can enter for free with a paid adult admission. Tickets are available at www.majestic.org, by calling 541-738-SHOW or at the Majestic box office, 115 S.W. Second St.