The Taming of the Shrew
presented by the Plague Mask Players and AT&T Performing Art Center’s Elevator Project
Coming to you in “Living Black & White TM” courtesy of Pegasus Theatre and with gratitude to Pegasus Theatre consultants Kurt Kleinmann and Barbara Weinberger
My thoughts on The Taming of the Shrew or it’s all there in black and white.
My best advice for you to enjoy this 1950’s send up of Shakespeare’s classic comedy is to read Director Shea McMillan’s director’s note in the program. before the show starts. It will do a little to prepare you for this “comedy” that, although very humorous in parts, is deeply disturbing and sometimes difficult to watch. Through 21st Century eyes, Shrew is a showcase for misogyny, spousal abuse, and toxic masculinity.
It’s the world of the 1950’s sitcom that the Plague Mask Players have recreated expertly with the help of the Pegasus Theatre. It all feels right from the comedic situations that Director McMillan sets up so well to the look of Gelacio Gibson’s costumes to Keegan Arnold’s set. You almost expect one of those commercials where women are ecstatic over a new cleaning product or vacuum cleaner to pop up. And that is the major point the Players are making here. The treatment of women in 1950’s America was not all that different from Shakespeare’s England. Women were still very much seen as property and often in need of correction by physical and/or verbal abuse. This tale of Petruchio’s “taming” of Katharina fits right into the 50’s framework.
Director McMillan has assembled a large cast of talented actors for Shrew, many of whom are former PMP performers. The entire cast is sensational and deserving of praise, but I do want to highlight a few performances that are outstanding. I absolutely loved Salomona Mendoza as the Pedant, who along with the terrific Anthony Magee as Vincentio, brought some much needed levity to the final act. Samantha Calatozzo Cobb’s somewhere between Judy Holliday in “Born Yesterday” and Guys and Doll’s Miss Adelaide as Biondello and constantly gives off comedy sparks. Shana Gregory Williams rules the stage a Baptista. Just try to keep your eyes off this matriarch. Erik Campos is stage presence and charm personified as Lucentio. Jake Lawrence Geary is a fabulous Gremio. Geary is one of those actors who is able to change their whole physicality when playing a character and you can practically hear his old bones creaking as the way past his prime Gremio. The skillful Geary is able to get laugh after laugh in this supporting role.
As the “spar-crossed” lovers Katharina and Petruchio, Jaclyn Thomas and Cody Magouirk lead the production. Katharina and Petruchio are about as likeable as the Macbeths. At least Shakespeare gave the Macbeths a few subtle moments while these two most frequently have the volume turned all the way up. Thomas and Magouirk, both amazing actors, give their all to the characters. At least Thomas’s Kate, although a pain in the ass (probably just needs the right drugs and some therapy), evokes our sympathy while Magouirk’s abusive “woman tamer” remains unredeemed. I’d love to see these two teamed again. Perhaps Magouirk as Leontes and Thomas as Paulina in The Winter’s Tale?
There is much to admire in the Plague Mask Players production of The Taming of the Shrew. It’s technically impressive, there are many laughs, and the performances are first rate. However, this is not a usual Shakespearean comedy with a happy ending tied up in a bow. It is a dramatized look at the treatment of women in society for hundreds of years. This Shrew exposes brutal, shameful truths in the guise of a comedy.
Photos by Kris Ikejiri
