Stratford Beacon Herald, May 27, 2003
Spaghetti-western Shrew imaginative fun
By: Donal O'Connor
It seems a giant step for mankind when Petruchio steps forward and kneels in The Taming of The Shrew to kiss and embrace his suppliant wife Katherina before lifting her to her feet in an embrace.
Up to that point, which comes at the end of the play, the unkempt fellow has done nothing but browbeat his wife in an attempt to force her compliance with his will. Significantly, Petruchio steps forward after telling her "Come on, and kiss me Kate."
She doesn�t move. He does.
In the Stratford Festival�s season opener, that�s how director Miles Potter finally deals with Shakespeare�s problematic ending to a play which cannot sit comfortably with modern audiences. The gesture at least hints at a balance of power within the marital relationship of Graham Abbey�s Petruchio and Seana McKenna�s Katherina.
That single most vexatious aspect of the play aside, we can say this production with its spaghetti western styling is, for the most part, pleasing to the eye, imaginative and generally well acted as a farce. Curiously, though, the strength - which is not to say depth - of some of the less central characters seems to have the effect of distracting from the Petruchio-Katherina relationship which is supposed to be at the heart of the play. One wonders as well if the deliberately heavy-handed, Wild West imagery - entertaining as it is - doesn�t contribute to that distraction away from the core.
Donald Carrier as Hortensio, Brad Ruby as Gremio and Kyle Blair as Lucentio, all suitors of Katherina�s tamer sister Bianca, provide highly entertaining, energetic character types. The Scottish accent assumed by Gremio adds colour to his peculiar, top-hatted attire and unusual gait.
Similarly, the Mexican take on Lucentio�s servant Tranio, as played by Jonathan Goad, adds a nice layer to the humour in the production. And Paul Dunn is an energetic, wide-eyed Biondello, another of Lucentio�s servants.
Beyond these assorted characters imposing themselves on the wealthy household of Baptista Minola (Paul Soles) in the Tex-Mex city of Padua is one Grumio, Petruchio�s bow-legged, spittin� and none-too-swift sidekick played by Wayne Best. Mr. Best takes Grumio quite over the top and the character does become a tad irritating after a while. Petruchio, I thought, should have aimed higher when he pulled the trigger to shut his friend up at one point early on.
Also in the irritating category is Bianca as played by Deborah Hay. Farce or not, I�m not sure it helps any to have Bianca - who is supposed to be Kate�s attractive sister - speaking in such a shrill voice. You would think it would put her suitors off rather quickly.
Anyway, it is pretty funny when Bianca�s out-of-control singing brings on the dogs� howling in one scene in which one of her suitors, posing as a music teacher, attempts a music lesson.
In a nutshell, the action in the play unfolds when Petruchio arrives in Padua, keen on marriage to a rich woman, and presents an opportunity for Bianca�s three suitors. That�s because Bianca�s father won�t part company with his younger daughter until his elder daughter Katherina, known for her willfulness, is first married off.
Undaunted by Katherina�s insults and rebuffs, Petruchio takes on the challenge of winning her - and not by conventional methods.
It�s hard to find fault with Mr. Abbey�s portrayal of Petruchio or with Ms. McKenna�s Kate. Petruchio is appropriately macho in his swagger and attitude; Katherina suitably feisty, at least up to the point where she submits and takes a different approach in dealing with Petruchio.
Still, the portrayals just don�t emerge as the standouts one expects from these acclaimed Festival actors. Is it perhaps that the staging has so overwhelmed the production so as to leave the story of the central characters somehow muted?
Patrick Clark designs the show and music preparation is by Kevin Muir.
The Taming of the Shrew continues in repertory at the Festival Theatre until Nov. 1.