Atlanta Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW Comes to the Shakespeare Tavern, Now thru 7/20

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The New American Shakespeare Tavern presents The Taming of the Shrew, today, July 3-20, 2014, directed by Jeff Watkins.

This tale of the fiery and highly comedic romance of Kate and Petruchio still entertains after 400+ years but the debate still stands: just who tames whom?

Cast:

Kate - Mary Russell

Petruchio - Matt Nitchie

Baptista, Servant - Doug Kaye*

Bianca, Servant - Kristin Storla

Lucentio, Servant - Jonathan Horne

Hortensio - Paul Hester*

Gremio, Tailor, Servant - J. Tony Brown*

Vincentio, Servant - Troy Willis*

Tranio, Servant - Joshua Diboll

Grumio - Drew Reeves*

Pedant, Servant - Clarke Weigle

Biondello, Servant - Matt Felten

Curtis, Haberdasher, Widow - Nicholas Faircloth

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW synopsis (by Drew Reeves): Lucentio and his servant, Tranio, arrive in Padua to experience the city's arts and culture. Soon after their arrival they witness Baptista Minola, a very rich man, negotiating with suitors for the hand of his youngest daughter, Bianca. Baptista will not allow Bianca to be married until his oldest daughter, Katherine, is wed, yet Katherine is considered by all to be a 'shrew', an ill-tempered woman prone to violence towards others. Baptista invites the suitors to find tutors for his daughters to help win favor. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, and decides to disguise himself as a tutor so he can get closer to her, while Tranio will disguise himself as Lucentio to distract Baptista and negotiate a monetary agreement for the hand of Bianca.

Petruchio arrives with his servant Grumio, seeking to find a wealthy woman to wed. He goes to his good friend Hortensio, who is one of Bianca's suitors, and he tells Petruchio of Katherine. Petruchio agrees to wed Katherine, and Hortensio plans to disguise himself as a tutor so he can get closer to Bianca.

Petruchio meets Katherine and a battle of wit and strong wills ensues. He tells Baptista he will marry her, and they agree upon the dowry. Baptista then tells 'Lucentio' (the disguised Tranio) that he can marry Bianca if he can prove that his father will assure him of his inheritance. Tranio decides he has to find someone to pretend to be Lucentio's father, Vincentio.

Petruchio is late to his agreed upon wedding day, and when he finally arrives, he and his servant are dressed and behave in a very odd manner. This continues through the wedding, and he finally forcibly takes Kate away before the wedding feast.

Petruchio and Kate arrive at his house in Verona, and he begins treating his servants in the same manner Kate was earlier treating the suitors and him. For several days, he denies her food, new clothes, and behaves in a very erratic manner. He finally agrees that they will return to Padua to see her father. On the road home, Kate disagrees with Petruchio, and she finally begins to understand his behavior.

Meanwhile, back in Padua, Lucentio has revealed who he really is to Bianca, she falls for him, and they secretly marry, which they are able to do because Tranio as 'Lucentio' has brought in a fake father 'Vincentio'. The real Vincentio arrives with Kate and Petruchio, and all of the deceptions are exposed, but it is too late, Lucentio and Bianca are married.

All then gather for a wedding feast with three married couples (Hortensio has married a wealthy widow who also proves to be a 'shrew'). Petruchio bets with the other men that his wife is the most obedient, and Kate wins the bet when she delivers a speech about a woman's duty to her husband and a man's duty to his wife.

All regular (non-preview) Thursday shows are $20 for adults and $15 for students. Except for A Christmas Carol when all Thursdays (except for the preview) are $24 Main/$20 Box/$15 Balcony. An 8% sales tax is added on top of all purchases made at The Shakespeare Tavern.

Discount Ticket Options: $15 for Previews (unless otherwise noted); Student/Educator prices: $5 off per price level per night except in the Balcony on Thursdays and Sundays. Not valid on Saturday nights. $14 for 10am matinees. $3 off for Military, Seniors, Groups of 10 or more, except in the Balcony on Thursdays and Sundays. Promotional discount offers are not valid closing weekend of a performance. Purchase Tickets Online for most performances at www.shakespearetavern.com.

Accessibility and The Shakespeare Tavern: The Shakespeare Tavern is handicapped accessible. Please let the box office know if you have any special needs that we should be aware of in order to make your Shakespeare Tavern experience the very best we can. Our handicapped entrance ramp/parking is located directly behind our building. Once you turn onto Renaissance Parkway from Peachtree Street, you will turn right onto Courtland Street. The Tavern's back entrance will be immediately on your right once you clear the building on the corner and the traffic poles. The turn comes up quickly, so please drive slowly. Handicapped parking is directly in front of the ramp, behind our building.

Location: The New American Shakespeare Tavern is located at 499 Peachtree Street, NE, just four blocks south of The Fox Theater and directly across the street from Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Parking: In the evening, we recommend parking in the Emory University Hospital Midtown Parking Deck located directly across the street from the front doors of The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. Regular parking price is $5. DO NOT park on Pine Street or in the empty parking lots on Pine Street. Your car might be booted if you park in these lots.

Food and Beverage Service: The Tavern opens one hour and fifteen minutes before the performance for food and beverage service. Chef for a Night provides a British-pub-style menu for dinner. The Tavern has a beer, wine, coffee, tea, and soft drink bar that serves Bass and Guinness on tap.

Seating and Box Office: Seating is done on a "first come, first served" basis within each designated section. Table seating is limited however all seats can accommodate food and beverages. For reservations or more information, call or email The Tavern Box Office at 404.874.5299 or boxoffice@shakespearetavern.com or order tickets on-line at www.shakespearetavern.com

The Shakespeare Tavern is a registered 501 ( C ) 3 non-profit organization and is a member of The Actor's Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) at The New American Shakespeare Tavern is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Major support is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major support also is provided by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. But, PRIMARILY, ASC is funded through the generous support provided by people just like you through the Shakespeare Club, the Royals and the Exceptions.

Pictured: Mary Russell and Matt Nitchie. Photo by Jeff Watkins.