too much funny business

July 15, 2005 performance, reviewed by Dave Conlin Read

Occupying all the time between 7:30 and 10:30, save for a generous intermission, there's lots to be said about Shakespeare and Co.'s Taming of the Shrew.

I've a mind to call up my John Cleese imitation and say "It was too much, Ah yes, too too much, Loved it, yes indeed, a bit ribald wasn't it then, but No it was tooooo much."

Regardless of some fine performances, topmost being Celia Madeoy, Jonathan Croy, and Meg Wieder, this production seemed to be a collection of comedy skits that overwhelmed Shakespeare's verse and prevented it from coalescing.

By the time of Kate's speech to her sister and the widow, I was so conditioned to the funny business that I was stunned that she kept a straight face throughout and merely delivered the admonishing speech as written.

We'd been whacked by the slapstick so steadily, surely Kate was just seting us up for the kill?

Having treated us like sophomores all night, they should've sent out a man on stilts to inform us of Kate's transformation. After all, this is a production that warns you early that your imagination is not invited. There are two puke scenes in the first five minutes, one dry heave in the lap of an audience member, another wet one in the face of an actor.

A final insult was a "tudor ex machina" appended either to prevent the audience from resuming their lives with sixteenth century sensibilities or to announce Shakespeare and Co.'s endorsement of women's lib!

Overdone too was Petruccio's declaration on the subjegation of a wife; instead of looking for any hint of humor there, it was played starkly, and the concommitant physicality with real meanness.

Whatever. One had no opportunity to mull the motivations, to ponder the possibilities, to engage any intellectual faculty at all because there was too much funny business.