“TAMING OF THE SHREW”

Shakespeare’s "Taming of the Shrew" at SFCity College’s Diego Rivera Theater.

City College of San Francisco’s Theatre Arts Department is presenting Shakespeare’s light-hearted comedy, “Taming of the Shrew”, co-directed by Susan Jackson and Thea Gold, at the college’s Diego Rivera Theatre.

Jackson and Gold have creatively updated the play to 1969, San Francisco’s Summer of Love, which works beautifully. As Shakespeare intended,“Shrew” is performed with the Induction (Prologue, set in 2005), a common theatrical device in the 16th century. Most productions omit it entirely as Christopher Sly (Anthony Agesti in this production) never again appears. Sly is a beggar - - in this case, a homeless man. He is found passed out drunk by a gaggle of rich, titled socialites, who dress him in a tuxedo and luxurious trappings while he‘s unconscious. When he comes to, they convince him he is a Lord, a wealthy property owner in his own right. The actors in this scene: The Hostess (Cynthia Bette) and Lady (Angela Knutson.) are costumed in striking black and white cocktail dresses, a distinct contrast to costumes in the rest of the play. Will Chen plays The Page, who is passed off to Sly as a comely woman, his Lady, his wife. Chen does a believable turn in a short skirt, black tights, and high heels revealing shapely legs that any women would envy. They tell Sly he will be entertained by players who have just arrived to present a sort of “history.” Sly and “Wife” descend into the audience and take seats in the front row. Other theatre companies’ productions leave Sly on stage to respond to the action. Many feel it distracts from the action and through-line of the play: Baptista must marry off his eldest daughter, Katherina, before his youngest - - comely, obedient Bianca - - can be wed. Yet Katherine is considered by all to be ornery and sharp- tongued. Though Bianca has many anxious suitors, they must wait. Baptista and others work to find a man for Katherine. But when Petrucio comes to town looking for a rich wife and shows an interest in Kate, his men try to dissuade him. He sees winning her as a challenge. Bets are made.

The set is simple: four rectangular, gauzy, tie-dye banners stand upstage right and left; a gorgeous turquoise blue backdrop on which hangs high on its center a huge, brilliant-yellow, smiling sun. The cast, as each appear, is costumed in the style of the era: bright colors, tie dye, worsted vests over loose, colorful shirts, bell-bottoms, head scarves. Bianca (Tamara Lin Shaputis), in contrast, wears a conservative, dark, pantsuit. Ms. Shaputis is a winsome, sweet Bianca. She convincingly changes, once married, to bcome more like Kate: stubborn and willful, until she witnesses her sister‘s transformation after she marries Petrucio. Earlier, one gets a sense of Bianca’s sensuality when she dances to Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.” Other pop songs of the times, like, “Here Comes the Sun”, coinciding with the action, or foreshadowing it, enhance the production.

Jackson and Gold inventively staged some of the action in the aisles. Also, they stayed true to the manner of productions in the 1500s by having men play women and vice versa. One of Bianca‘s suitors, Gremio, played by HollyMcKay, costumed in a grey three-piece suit, tie and hat, tries to convince Baptista (Joe Albert Tamayo) of his solvency. A noted performance is Joseph Stiefvater as Hortensio, yet another Bianca suitor, passing himself off as a talented musician who will teach her to play. Stiefvater possesses comic timing and a wonderful physicality as well as sharp articulation. He uses space beautifully, literally taking the stage. Once disguised in a frizzy black wig and long kimono, he somehow loses his presence as Hortensio in order to become more suitable to Bianca.

Will Chen, as Petrucio, wears the black leather fringe jacket of a biker and pants to match
His delivery is slow, measured, and grounded in contrast to Katherine’s (Leah Ann England) venom-spewed attacks. Her costume is a cranberry velvet, sleeveless gown with white lace trim. England’s nuanced performance gives her character the shadings not seen in many Kates. She gives you a sense of Kate’s vulnerability, which underscores her reasons for coming off like a bitch. Petrucio is determined to tame her. Money, property, and birth play into gaining parental approval and by discovering Petrucio’s lineage as a gentleman from Verona, Baptista okays him as a mate for Kate.

Though Shakespeare’s language, story, plot, theme, and action is unmatched in works by any playwright since, it’s still cringe inducing to witness Petrucio’s brainwashing of Kate. He convinces her to call the sun the moon, and that an oldster with withered cheeks and white hair is a young ravishing beauty. Even as Kate gives in and he changes his mind, she still goes along. And at the end of the play, Bianca and the Widow (Cynthia Belle) disobey their mates and leave the wedding banquet (staged like a hippie picnic in Golden Gate Park). Petrucio sends Kate to fetch them and make them behave as she has learned. She does, then launches into this long spiel basically saying that she’d let her husband step on her with his muddy boots and do a bunch of other noxious stuff to her if it pleased him, admonishing her women friends that disobeying your husband makes you ugly and old; “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy, keeper, thy sovereign . . . ”

Some Shakespearean scholars contend that “The Taming os the Shrew” is psychologically discerning and that Shakespeare intended for Kate to fall in love with Petrucio at first sight, which the actor playing her should reveal in her expression as soon as she sees him. Underlying this is the idea that she was sick of the single life and enduring the attention given to her sister. She wants a man but is locked into negative behavior that’s become habitual, she doesn’t have a clue as to how to get a man. Petrucio is said to see through this and play up to her, using this little known side of hers to his advantage. He offers her the chance for freedom from her single, oppressive life at home, by getting married. I suppose it’s nice to think so.

Other notable performances are Xi Wu, as a hunter and later as a servant to Petrucio; Vincent Nel as Lucentio, in love with Bianca. Nel is believable as a nerd, carrying around an armload of books and wooing Bianca by teaching her Latin. Simon Timony as Grumio, servant to Petrucio shows confidence by his careful, but not flat elocution, his ease, grace and unmannered execution of his slightly comic role. The eighteen or more actors entering and exiting the stage and aisles in various guises and disguises, maintain character and believability in their roles, some taking on more than one. With the final lines, including the famous, “Kiss me Kate . . .”, and the curtain call, an Epilogue is added showing black and white photographs projected on the backdrop of each couple depicting how they look in 2005.

Along with directors Susan Jackson and Thea Gold, and the actors, kudos to the stage manager, costumers, make-up staff, set designers and carpenters, audio and visual technicians, as well as the rest of the production crew, for their contribution to a totally satisfying production. Final performances are Friday, October 26 and Saturday October 27, at 8 PM, and on Sunday, October 28 at 2 PM. Diego Rivera Theatre, 50 Phelan Ave. (Corner of Judson), SF. General Admision $15.00; St5udents, Seniors, and TBA Members $10.00 Phone (415) 239-3100/3132

Muni: 43, 47, 36, 29, Meto M train, 23 (On Monterey). BART (Balboa Bart Station).