Shakespeare & Company is closing its summer season with an erratic production of “The Taming of the Shrew.”
It’s a well-known story about sisters seeking husbands. Bianca, an attractive woman has many suitors but cannot be allowed to marry until her older sister is married. Unfortunately, that sister Katharina has a personality that makes her an undesirable wife. A swaggering, single nobleman, Petruchio, comes to town and for a healthy dowry agrees to marry the shrewish Kate. He brags he will tame her temper and make her a perfect wife.
Deprived of sleep, food and familiar surroundings, as well as having servants beaten in front of her, puts Katharina in survival mode. Today, what we term “Stockholm Syndrome” has Kate agreeing the sun is the moon, pretty is ugly and cruel is kind. She becomes subservient and the 16th century version of a trophy wife.
If this sounds sexist, it’s because it is. It’s probably safe to assume when the play was written about 1590 sexual equality was of little concern to Shakespeare. Today directors twist themselves in knots to spin the work to indicate Kate is manipulating Petruchio and she is actually the victor in a battle of wills.
Director Nicole Ricciardi does not attempt to contemporize Kate’s conversion. Indeed, there is little attempt to make it palatable by modernizing the play’s main theme. It’s disappointing, not only because the end demeans Katharina, but intriguing insights are neglected.
It’s especially disappointing because the clever opening hints at a freewheeling style to the work. It begins with altering the original framing device by starting with a performance of “Waiting for Godot”. Picking up on Shakespeare’s intent, a drunk enters from the audience demanding a romantic-comedy.
It’s fresh, clever and treats the audience with respect for their literary maturity and suggests they will be open to different interpretations of traditional material. Ricciardi further sets up the opportunity for bold choices by casting the play with only eight actors, six of whom must double and triple roles. Using players of various sizes, shapes, skin color, ages and genders the director opens the door to make fun of out-of-date social attitudes.
But sadly, there is not enough risk and abandon in the director’s choices to make this murky, confusing presentation constant fun. This is especially true with the Kate/Petruchio romance. Katharina was cast with a sexy, confident woman who is not a stereotype of classic beauty. The opportunity to explore the concept of being entitled to love as related to physical beauty is squandered, as are similar attitudes towards age and gender when it comes to finding love.
It must quickly be pointed out that the problems of the production have little to do with the performances. MaConnia Chesser shows Katharina as a strong independent woman who is as adorable as she is brash. Though she depends too much on yelling alone to signal her anger, she wins the audience’s heart through her strength of personality. At least until she is deprived of her uniqueness.
Jamal James is a virile Petruchio who is alternately charming and cruel. It is no slight, and actually a tribute to the actor to say he creates the perfect sociopath. It’s scary to see how easily he charms people and is admired for his bad behavior.
The rest of the cast is game and able. They work very hard finding the physicality in the slapstick humor and even though the stunts seem overly choreographed to the point of appearing artificial, there is no denying the performers their dedication to the task at hand. There is also a lot of humor in the quick changes and character shifts. This too could have been milked for more humor by the director.
Few people think “The Taming of the Shrew” is a masterpiece. That it keeps getting produced and enjoyed by audiences speaks more to our cultural flaws than it does to the genius of Shakespeare. Harder to explain is that this crushing of a strong personality in today’s world is called a comedy.
“The Taming of the Shrew” continues at Shakespeare & Company through August 24. For tickets and schedule information go to shakespeare.org
