It's been a great week for me, in terms of free theater tickets. I just scored a seat for a matinee of "Avenue Q" in January.

Sure, it'll be my Chanukah present from my parents, but I was going to buy a ticket anyway, so I might as well save myself the $64 while making the gift-getting process a snap for mom. Plus, the whole family will be going together, so that will be nice.

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" last night was a hoot. The merry band of players (Austin, Matt and Reed) worked nonstop for 97 minutes -- well, minus a 15-minute intermission -- to zip through all 37 plays, plus the 154 sonnets. And they were gracious enough to chat and sign Playbills when it was all over. Bravo, Reduced Shakespeare Co.!