Review: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW at Little Theatre Of Mechanicsburg

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. It has been adapted numerous times for stage and screen, including the musical Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter. It has also been used as inspiration for several other plays and movies, including the 1999 comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. From the very beginning the play has created controversy, with some seeing it as deeply problematic, filled with misogyny, domestic violence, and oppression, and others viewing it as a satirical condemnation of those behaviors. Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg takes on The Taming of the Shrew under the direction of Andi Lee Carter, with assistant director Bryden McCurdy and stage manager Alex E. Donley, through August 23rd.  

Carter explores this controversial play through the lens of reality television, a fitting setting for a play that highlights problematic gender roles and relationships. The production team includes Andi Lee Carter, Mandi L. Hurley, Bobby Zaccano, Kevin Hand, Osiris Stand, Ezra Stand, Tara Stand, Jeremy Stand, David Lutz, Heather M. Flatley, Alex E. Donley, Lori Haagen, and Bryden McCurdy. This production is technically ambitious, combining set, lighting, costumes, props, sound, and video to create a television-esque experience for the audience. While not perfectly executed (the sound on the videos was sometimes hard to hear or was distorted, the lighting for the individual side interviews “backstage” was not the greatest, and sometimes the videos felt like an unnecessary break in the flow) it is a creative and entertaining endeavor that certainly mirrors the often overly-stimulating nature of reality television.

The blocking, movement, and fight choreography (by Andi Lee Carter, Bryden McCurdy, J’aime Elizabeth, Amy Dove, Mandi L. Hurley, and Bobby Zaccano) is well-designed, making good use of the space and multiple entrances. The chase scenes are particularly fun to watch. The cast and crew of this production had to pivot quite a bit in the process of putting this production together, with several cast changes. Shakespeare is difficult enough without the added necessity of changing roles, but the cast handled it well. Even when they had to rely on notecards or phones to aid with their lines, for the most part they kept the show moving and were able to stay in character throughout.

The cast features Bobby Zaccano (voice of the network/priest), Janelle French (ensemble/merchant/widow), Annie Hart Miller (ensemble/tailor/Biondello), Andy Isaacs (Ensemble/Vincentio), Mackenzie Heikel (Grumio), Megan Harbert (Bianca), Robb Papapietro (Gremio), Gabriel Cassata (Hortensio), Matthew Wilson Martin (Lucentio), Albert Baker (Baptista), Duffy Batzer (Tranio), Andi Lee Carter (Petruchio), and Debi Prestine (Katherina). French, Miller, and Isaacs work together well as the ensemble, weaving in and out of scenes and taking on various roles. French is particularly delightful as the Widow in the final scenes, delivering her lines with wit and precision. Miller’s performance as Biondello is hilarious, her facial expressions showing her character’s confusion as she realizes that Tranio and Lucentio have swapped places. Isaacs is appropriately baffled as Vincentio when he discovers that someone else has been posing as him. Heikel’s mischievous Grumio has a great rapport with Carter’s Petruchio.

Harbert is adorable as Bianca, Baptista’s younger daughter. She fully embraces the reality show theme, portraying Bianca as vivacious, self-centered, and superficial. Papapietro, Cassata, and Martin take on the roles of Bianca’s suitors, each attempting to one-up the other, to manipulate the situation in his favor, and to win over both Baptista and Bianca. Papapietro and Cassata play off one another beautifully. Cassata gives a tremendous performance, adding levels of nuance and hilarity to his character and elevating each scene he’s in. Martin’s Lucentio is a fantastic contrast to Gremio and Hortensio, his mild-mannered, love-struck demeanor making him an audience favorite. His interactions with Batzer’s Tranio are thoroughly entertaining. Batzer has great comedic timing that keeps the audience laughing. Baker’s stage presence is perfect for the role of Baptista, and his line delivery makes Shakespeare’s writing easy to understand.

Director Andi Lee Carter takes on the role of Petruchio, emphasizing his greedy, manipulative, posturing nature. His over-the-top performance suits the reality show vibes of the production, bringing to mind the way in which many reality television stars over-emote, trying to stand out among the other characters in the performance. His Petruchio is both funny and easy to dislike, highlighting the despicable parts of his personality and behavior in a way that resists the play’s potential to glorify those things. Prestine’s performance as Katherina (Kate) is fantastic—she’s passionate, intelligent, stubborn, and independent. The audience cannot help but like her. The final scenes of the play are well-directed, focusing on suggesting that Kate, Bianca, and the widow are the real heroes. It is a fresh and intriguing interpretation.

This production of The Taming of the Shrew at Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg is highly creative and successfully makes this classic piece accessible to modern audiences. Tickets are going fast, so visit ltmpa.com to get your tickets now.

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