, a CurtainUp Berkshire Review CurtainUp
CurtainUp

The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings
www.curtainup.com


HOME PAGE

SEARCH

REVIEWS

FEATURES

NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings


LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway

BOOKS and CDs

OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
LA/San Diego
Philadelphia
Elsewhere

QUOTES

On TKTS

LETTERS TO EDITOR

FILM

LINKS

MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for us
A CurtainUp Berkshires Review

The Taming of the Shrew


---
Cranwell Resort





What it's About: The play opens as celebrations in the Veneto heat up, and Christopher Sly, a poor tinker, is discovered in a state of high revelry and drunkenness. Trespassing onto the villa of a wealthy lord, he passes out, and the lord decides to play a trick on him. Sly awakens in the master bedroom of the villa as the lord persuades him that he has been asleep and delusional for 15 years but is now restored to his true self – a lord. Shortly after a troop of traveling players arrives at the villa, the true lord enlists them in his practical joke, inviting them to perform a play for Sly’s entertainment: The Taming of the Shrew. Lucentio, a young nobleman from Pisa, arrives in Padua to study at the university, accompanied by his trusty servant, Tranio. Baptista Minola, a wealthy merchant, has two daughters, Katharina (Kate) and Bianca. Baptista tells Bianca’s suitors, Gremio and Hortensio, that he will not permit Bianca to wed before he makes a match for her older sister, a notorious ill-tempered "shrew." Baptista asks the suitors to find tutors for his daughters, and Hortensio and Gremio agree to temporarily team up to find a husband for Kate. However, Lucentio, who has seen Bianca and fallen instantly in love, overhears everything and decides to disguise himself as a schoolmaster so he can get a job as one of Bianca’s tutors.

Soon after, Petruchio, an adventurous gentleman from Verona, arrives on the scene with his servant Grumio. Seeking a rich wife in Padua, Petruchio discovers just the woman when his friend Hortensio suggests the cursed Kate. Baptista is thrilled to find a suitor interested in Kate and a dowry is quickly negotiated with Petruchio. However, Kates’ father warns Petruchio that there is no deal unless he can truly win Kate’s love. What happens next is an ensuing battle – of the heart, intellect, stamina, and compromise of love.

The production is set in the time leading up to aster because this, too, is a time of transformation, from the superficial -- the masks and costumes and games of Carnivale -- to the profound: the spiritual journey of Lent, with its promise of redemption and new life.

TAMING OF THE SHREW br> Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Daniela Varon
Assistant Directors: Julie Hicks and Will MacAdams
Cast: Aaron Adams, Barbara Sims, Ben Rosenblatt, Bobby Biggs, Celia Madeoy, David Josef Hansen, Dave Demke, Jon Croy, Kurt Uy, Kenajuan Bentley, Lucas Maloney, Mark Saturno, Matthew Stucky, Meg Weider, Rory Hammond, Rocco Sisto, Stephanie Dodd, Walton Wilson; also in Aaron Adams (ensemble), Barbara Sims (Widow), Ben Rosenblatt (Clown/Servant), Bobby Biggs (Gremio), David Josef Hansen (Grumio), Dave Demke (Vincentio), Jonathan Croy (Baptista), Kurt Uy (ensemble), Kenajuan Bentley (Hortensio), Lucas Maloney (Batholomew), Mark Saturno (Tranio), Matthew Stucky (Lucentio), Meg Weider (Biondello), Rory Hammond (ensemble), Stephanie Dodd (Bianca), and Walton Wilson (Christopher Sly/Pedant).
Costume Design: Laura Crow
Scenic Designer/Properties: Ed Check
Lighting Designer: Dan Kotlowitz
Sound Design:
Dramaturg: Jody Rothe
Musician/Musical Director: Lucy Bardo
Founders' Theatre, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, 413/637-3353. www.shakespeare.org
July 21, 2005 to September 3, 2005; opening July 29, 2005
Tickets: $16-$51, Student, Senior, Group Rates, & Rush Tix available. .
Reviewed by Elyse Sommer
deb and harry's wonderful things -  crafts .  yarns

tales from shakespeare
Retold by Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Co.
Click image to buy.
Our Review


Berkshire Hikes Book Cover
Berkshire Hikes &

The Berkshire Book

metaphors dictionary cover
6,500 Comparative Phrases including 800 Shakespearean Metaphors by CurtainUp's editor.
Click image to buy.
Go here for details and larger image.



©Copyright 2005, Elyse Sommer, CurtainUp.
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com