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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. The Taming of the Shrew Also see Susan's coverage of the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards and her review of Bakersfield Mist
To begin with, the director frames the journey of Katherina (Maulik Pancholy), the outspoken "shrew," and Petruchio (Peter Gadiot), the adventurer who marries her for money and "tames" her behavior through mind games and some violence, as a metaphor for creating an authentic life and undergoing personal change. That's fine, but Iskandar adds so many amendments to the script and embellishments in the staging that the plot seems less important than the spectacle. Iskandar understands the problematic side of Shakespeare's plot, in that Katherina discovers her "authentic" self by adjusting her behavior to whatever Petruchio may say or do at any given moment. So as not to inflict such treatment on a female performer, he has cast men in the three female roles: in addition to Katherina, her beautiful and desirable sister Bianca (Oliver Thornton), and a nameless Widow (Rick Hammerly) who ends up with one of Bianca's former suitors. All that does is to take actual women out of the equation. A few of Iskandar's other tweaks are puzzling. Why has he turned Gremio (André De Shields), usually an aging but wealthy suitor of Bianca, into a cardinal? (So much else is happening that tossing in a bit of religious corruption and hypocrisy seems like piling on.) His inspiration of interpolating moody songs by Duncan Sheik may add depth to the characters, but it also slows down the action and adds noticeably to the running time. Quirkiest of all is the decision to turn the intermission into a 30-minute-long "Intermezzo" when audience members can buy drinks and hang out onstage while the characters illuminate the subtext in dance and flirtation. It's too much of a good thing that would have been better with less. For all that, Pancholy brings genuine dignity and gravitas to Katherina. The other standouts are more outrageous: Tom Story's silly walk, De Shields' larger-than-life embodiment of several roles, the exaggerated drama of Hammerly's performance, and the way Petruchio's servants literally turn themselves into furniture for their master. Also, the immersion process begins before the audience enters the auditorium. The second-floor lobby of Sidney Harman Hall has been turned into a shopping piazza featuring such products as artisan chocolates and other gourmet food products, pottery, and framed antique postcards. An affiliated "finishing school" offers classes in arts and crafts.
Shakespeare Theatre Company The House of Minola: The House of Bentivolli: The Establishment: The Laborers: The Indigent: The Ensemble: Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar |
