Theatre Pro Rata's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW publicity photo
Theatre Pro Rata kicked off their 2010-2011 season with a classic and a comedy – a combination that veers from the norm for the established company, but suits their approach for the coming months. Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, though set in contemporary times, stays true to the spirit of the original period in a boisterous and brave interpretation.
For the most part, Shakespeare’s familiar characterizations are there: Bianca (MaryLynn Mennicke) is still a bit of a sap, Gremio (H Wesley McClain) is deluded (although not old and ridiculous enough), and Petruchio (Grant Henderson) is cocky and avaricious, if not as big a presence as the character suggests.
Several characters changed gender, including Baptista (Muriel Bonertz), which worked just fine. In fact, Bonertz fashioned a much more interesting dynamic with her wealthy “working mom†persona. A couple of characterizations just didn’t work, although it had nothing to do with gender. Petruchio’s servant, Grumio (Anissa Brazill Booch), for example, was just angry all the time and detracted from Kate rather than serving as a foil to her. Never mind that Grumio typically is the fool of the play. That role in this production fell more to Tranio (David Beukema), whose fine comic timing and carefully contained clowning lifted every scene in which he appeared.
Craig Johnson as the Pedant who is so readily tricked into impersonating Vincentio (also played cannily by a woman, Delta Giordano) commands every scene he’s in, no matter what else is going on. The reason is simple: his character is so sharply defined and perfectly executed that you have to watch him.
Although Kate (Amber Bjork) and Henderson lacked the big, resonant vocal quality that would have contributed to a more powerful presence, their brewing chemistry leads us back into the whole point of the play in time for its celebrated final scene, which also offers a perfectly satisfying explanation for her turnaround, summed up in a single, familiar gesture at the end of the play.
The set consisted of nothing more than floor-to-ceiling strips of white paper, which were  painted on to indicate locations, or cut to suggest windows and doors. That part was fun, but leaving the crumpled remains, mostly ignored thereafter, became a noisy distraction. The effect, visually, was interesting enough, but it felt too much like a piece of the set fell down and somebody needed to pick it up.
Costuming was adequate but only sometimes felt truly cohesive. Kate really should have been a stunner (Bjork certainly has the makings) with hairstyle to match, and more than a sweater might have better differentiated the male character’s switched roles. As was utilized in the crazy cross-dressing, there was opportunity for more fun in that, too.
Theatre Pro Rata clearly did their homework; line interpretation was consistently solid. There’s no need to be afraid of this one, just because it’s Shakespeare. You won’t miss a thing.
The Taming of the Shrew runs through September 26.