Reviewed by Judy Richter
Works by William Shakespeare are so timeless that -- despite
the Elizabethan language -- they lend themselves to settings in almost any
period of history. Thus guest director Shana Cooper chooses a contemporary setting
for California Shakespeare Theater's production of "The Taming of the Shrew." This setting works as the
fortune-hunting Petruchio (Slate Holmgren) takes on the challenge of wooing and winning the
shrewish Katherine (Erica Sullivan).
The
two-tier set by Scott Dougan features a sleekly mod living room above an open area
with a spiral staircase connecting the two. Movement director Erika Chong
Shuch has
choreographed a muscular dance by all of the male characters except Petruchio
to open the production. It sets the tone for the male-dominated culture of
Padua, where women's lives are ruled by their fathers and husbands. In this
case, Katherine is the elder daughter of Baptista (Rod Gnapp), who has decreed that his
younger daughter, Bianca (Alexandra Henrikson), may not marry until Katherine
has a husband. Hence Bianca's many suitors are more than pleased with the
arrival of the brash Petruchio, who seems undaunted by Katherine's reputation.
What
follows is the highly physical wooing scene, followed by the unconventional
wedding and honeymoon, when Petruchio gradually bends Katherine to his will,
thus "taming" her. She resists at first, but finally surrenders, in
part because she's weary and in part because somehow she has come to love him
(and he her) and has caught on to his game. Thus at the concluding wedding
feast, when she lectures her sister and the newly married widow (Joan Mankin) about obeying their husband,
one senses that she's having fun and that fun times are ahead for her and
Petruchio.
Both
Holmgren as Petruchio and Sullivan as Katherine are believable in their roles.
They're ably supported by the entire cast. Besides those already mentioned,
they include Dan Clegg as Tranio, Dan Hiatt as Gremio and Vincentio, Nicholas Pelczar as Lucentio, the hilarious Danny
Scheie as Grumio
and the tailor, Liam Vincent as Hortensio and Theo Black as Biondello.
Katherine
O'Neill's
costumes are sometimes so outrageous that they're distracting, especially
Petruchio's revealing wedding attire, but York Kennedy's lighting, Jake Rodriguez's sound and Dave Maier's fight direction complement the
production. Overall, it's highly entertaining, a notable conclusion to the 2011
season in the outdoor theater.