Review: The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks)

The Taming of the Shrew

Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Rachel Rockwell
at various Chicago parks (dates and locations)
thru Aug 19 | tickets: FREE   | more info

Check for half-price tickets


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The taming of Chicago’s park system

Chicago Shakespeare in the Park presents

The Taming of the Shrew

Review by K.D. Hopkins

I was thrilled to be at the opening of the new partnership between the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Chicago Park District. It seems that there has been an awakening in Chicago regarding the arts, and how they can make a difference in people’s lives. This production of The Taming of the Shrew is a condensed version of the original, but that does not lessen the impact of Shakespeare alfresco. Before the play commences, there are opening segments featuring The Green Show* (which hearkens back to the original days of Shakespeare): the Joel Hall Dancers and Soul and Duende Spanish American Theater enchant with sensual dances and passionate sounds. Both companies echo the themes of The Taming of the Shrew. Two dancers stand in opposition in the Joel Hall segment and then flow around each other while never touching, keeping the tension high. Soul and Duende perform hot flamenco to a gorgeous Spanish guitar. The flamboyant expressions and sexy stare downs are perfect accoutrement to the play that follows.

The cast of The Taming of the Shrew is an olio of perfect timing and comic sense. I always feel that Shakespeare meant this play as very tongue in cheek with a wink. It is definitely one of the more bawdy plays, along with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with frank themes and cultural commentary. This play can be interpreted as grifters going up against one another and the women actually coming out on top.

Ericka Ratcliff plays Katharina with a seething feminist edge. This Katharina wants to have the power of making her own decisions and makes Petruchio (Matt Mueller) work hard to earn her seeming acquiescence. Mueller and Ratcliff are fun to watch, and I wish that there were more scenes from the longer original. Perhaps the actors will reprise their roles at a future date.

Tiffany Yvonne Cox is all charm and insouciance as the sought after Bianca. Cox is given leeway to make Bianca not so pure but rather a bratty little sister who could learn a thing or five from Katharina. Matthew Sherbach as Hortensio is hilarious. He has a finely tuned comic sensibility that could be termed old school, because he is funny and not just mugging for laughs. Sherbach does comic irony equally well when his character gets hooked up with The Widow, played by Eric Leonard. Hortensio gets his just desserts for greed but also gets the sympathy due a comic schemer when the dish is a Widow with crazy Elizabethan ‘butt hair’.

Each member of this extraordinary cast has the meter and style of Shakespeare down to a science. They are perfect for introducing Shakespeare to a young audience. Kids in the audience are able to get the nuances because this adaptation is not dumbed down. The double entendre is fun and slightly blue, which I find delightful. Theater is a growing experience that should get beyond cartoonish characters for kids to remain interested in coming back or pursuing the arts. (I recall very fondly my first grown-up musical – Pearlie Victorious – when I was ten years old. Like that play, The Taming of the Shrew pulls the viewer just enough beneath the surface to be intrigued, entertained, and hungry for further explanation.)

The sponsors of this program have made it possible for Shakespeare in the Park to offer free admission. Bring your own lawn chair, snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellant and enjoy a glorious couple of hours of great theater in a great city. The Taming of the Shrew runs 75 minutes with no intermission at ten parks across the city. I saw this show at the breathtaking South Shore Cultural Center. Some of the other venues are Douglas Park, The Garfield Park Conservatory, and Humboldt Park. All of these parks are architectural stunners with stone gazebos, lagoons, and beaches. Go to ChicagoShakes.com/parks for all locations and times.

Rating: ★★★½

The Taming of the Shrew continues through August 19th at various Chicago parks (see locations/times). Admission is free. More info at ChicagoShakes.com/parks. (Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission)

Photos by Michael Litchfield, Michael Brosilow

* The Green Show echoes back to Shakespearean days, basically the Elizabethan equivalent of the warm-up band of modern concerts. The event featured actors from the play, and was called “green” because – just like at Shakespeare in the Park – it took place outside the theater before the play got started.

artists

cast

Jeffrey Baumgartner (Vincentio/Peter), Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Bianca), Max Ganet (Tranio), Jose Antonio Garcia (Grumio), Eric Leonard (Pedant/Widow), Kate LoConti (Biondella), Robert Joseph Miller (Baptista Minola), Matt Mueller (Petruchio), Karack Osborn (Curtis), Ericka Ratcliff (Katharina), Matthew Sherbach (Hortensio), Mick Weber (Gremio), Jarrod Zimmerman (Lucentio)

Joel Hall Dancers personnel

Joel Hall (choreographer); Corcavodo (original music); Mckinley (costumes); Rosetta Fair, Julie Motolo (dancers); Chewanda Willis (understudy)

Soul and Duende personnel

Jesus de Araceli (guitarist); Azucena Vega, Lily Vega, Cristina Gutierrez, Claudia Moreno, Paco Benitez (performers)

cast

behind the scenes

Rachel Rockwell (director, adaptor); Kevin Depinet (scenic design); Jacqueline Firkins (costumes); James Savage (sound design); Kevin O’Donnell (original music), Melissa Veal (wig, makeup design); Bob Mason (casting); Angela M. Adams (production stage manager); Michael Brosilow, Michael Litchfield (photos)

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