Nearly every theatrical production must find a balance between its history and the current trends. Few works have as substantial a history as those by William Shakespeare. Produced time and again the world over, Shakespeare plays have much to say about the human condition, wherein lies their inherent interest. With their production of “The Taming of the Shrew,” the UR International Theatre Program finds new points to highlight in the frequently told tale.
The show centers on Kate, an aggressive and generally spiteful young woman, who is the eldest daughter of a man named Baptista. The young man Hortensio loves the younger daughter Bianca, but she cannot be married before Kate, so he sets about finding a suitor for the elder. Hortensio’s friend Petruchio happens to be in town and, when he hears that Baptista is rich, eagerly agrees to marry Kate. Of course, Kate is not too keen on the idea and fights back. In the mean time, another man named Lucentio falls in love with Bianca and conspires with his manservant Tranio to become her language tutor.
Despite the barrier caused by four centuries of language change, the actors kept their audience engaged the entire length of the show. Sophomore Ian Von Fange, in the role of Kate, deftly expressed her development from malicious woman to obedient wife, savoring those moments when she started to lose her identity. As Petruchio, freshman Ron Aulakh matches Kate’s hostility, pushing it to the point that Petruchio’s true nature could not be discerned.
In the subplot, Jonathan Wetherbee, ’08 made Hortensio the comic foil to Petruchio, becoming increasingly feeble throughout the show. On the other side, senior Devin Goodman brought authentic emotions to Lucentio, making him into one of the most relatable characters, in spite of his actions. Alberto Carrillo Casas, a sophomore, played Bianca with an enjoyable, but surprisingly duplicitous, personality.
Director Matthew Earnest made several distinct choices in the production. Disregarding the gender of actors not only evoked the original casting but also portrayed the themes of the show in a different light. Including Sly’s framing story, despite its incompleteness, made sense of the many comedic devices that followed. But there was a poor decision was casting one person in the roles of Lucentio and Tranio. Notwithstanding the actor’s prowess, the characters were easily confused and at times hampered the audience’s grasp of the plot.
“The Taming of the Shrew” is a comedy, no doubt, but this production delves into other realms by the end. The plot is entirely misogynistic, but what first appears to be a hyperbolic, outdated lifestyle, slowly becomes believable, a commentary on a still living, contemporary view of women and marriage. Laughs abound throughout the play, but they hide an ethical dilemma that has only grown more poignant in the intervening years.
Libbey is a member of the class of 2016.
