Shakespeare by The Sea put on a wonderful production of Macbeth and The Taming of The Shrew last weekend at Saddleback College. In this article, I will be focusing on The Taming of The Shrew. If you are interested in my review of Macbeth you can find it here. I saw SBTS’s Shrew this last Saturday at Saddleback college as part of their Summer of Theatre initiative out on the upper campus quad.
Morgan Hill and Bryson (B.J.) Allman star in Shakespeare by the Sea’s THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Cylan Brown. Photo by Mickey Elliott.
One of The Bard’s most powerful comedies, The Taming of The Shrew deals with the conflict between two sisters, Bianca and Katherine. Bianca cannot get married until her older sister Katherine is wed. Katherine’s bad temper and “shrewish” personality make her unattractive and unsuitable to well…suitors. All appears to be at a standstill until a Veronian named Petruchio comes to town looking to wed only for monetary purposes and takes Kathrine for a wife claiming that he can “tame” her.
After a B Plot involving a huge case of mistaken identity and a wealthy young man named Lucentio secretly wooing Bianca as her Latin teacher, both sisters are happily married. We then see Katherine changed for the better while showing pride in her marital status. In a glorious show of comeuppance (I’m not going to say what happens – as I don’t want to spoil it for those who aren’t familiar with the play), Katherine get’s the last hurrah when she shows her sister and her respective suitors that sometimes a shrew is more favorable than a fair maiden.
Before seeing this production I was weary of this Shakespeare for many reasons. Partly because my 7th-grade history teacher’s brief summary didn’t paint the show in a favorable light and I was scared that the play was just a comedy on marital abuse (which to me didn’t sound very funny). Turns out that The Taming of The Shrew is a little more complicated and well written than that. This production, directed by Cylan Brown, did a great job of showing the dynamic and complex conflicts of the show, as well as its witty commentary on gender and what is expected of each person based on their respective sex. Katherine granted, is ill-tempered and violent, but is distraught of how she is treated by her father and how he appears to favor her younger, more temperate sister (who might not be as pleasant as she appears to be). She does not see the suitors around her to be her intellectual equals. She finds her equal in Petruchio who, in an odd way, shows her that he respects her as his equal.
Morgan Hill (obscured), Ethan Halsam, and Kei’la Ryan appear in Shakespeare by the Sea’s THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Cylan Brown. Photo by Mickey Elliott.
The show also was well-paced and easy to follow. It included many well directed physical comedy stunts, witty exchanges, and coconut based humor. With talented and well versed principal actors and a hilarious, quick cast of ensemble characters, this isn’t a production to miss!
Shakespeare By The Sea started in 1998 by Lisa Coffi, is a non-profit organization that “partners with local city organizations, enabling [them] to offer performances for free.” Actors sign on to perform in one, or both, of two different Shakespeare productions for ten weeks from San Pedro to The Bay Area.
Jacqueline Misaye, Morgan Hill, Olivia Schlueter-Corey, Patrick Vest, and Andy Kallok appear in Shakespeare by the Sea’s THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Cylan Brown. Photo by Mickey Elliott.
Each production is free admission (recommended donation of $10 per person) and open to all ages. There is plenty of SBTS merchandise and a raffle to enter at each performance.
More about their amazing program and others can be found on their website: http://www.shakespearebythesea.org/wp/about-us/. If you missed the shows at Saddleback, there are many other opportunities to see SBTS at local parks and other locations: http://www.shakespearebythesea.org/wp/locations/
Brigitte Rose
Entertainment Editor
Aliso Laguna News/ Green Local News
