The Taming of the Shrew images
Director Fran holds that Shrew isn't funny any more. In fact, she isn't the only person who finds it a little creepy to watch Petruchio brutalize Katherina. One reason the gags fail may be that a 21st-century audience simply can't—maybe shouldn't be asked to—forget everything we have learned about men and women. But . . . can the play work again if we invert the convention? Let Kate come to Padua and take on Petruchio's intractability?
I can hear you asking, "Why would a willful young man submit to the caprices of some out-of-town bitch?" That was my question when Fran first put the notion forward. We looked at each other for perhaps 15 seconds, then, "Ohhhh. I get it." Bet you will too. The show opens August 12 for a single weekend.
Fran's web site has a lot of background information, and within a day or two there will be a rehearsal scrapbook as well.
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| Why the design is so simple | The show got a break: an early rehearsal onstage | A dress rehearsal photo | The full cast and crew |
| Approved Ben Teague web site |
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Set photos