Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Free Stratford HD streamings conclude with an exceptionally astute TAMING OF THE SHREW

• By drediman
• August 6, 2020
• No Comments

Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay in the Stratford Festival’s 2015 production of “The Taming of the Shrew”. Photo by Don Dixon.

Last night, I tuned into the very last of the free streamings offered by the Stratford Festival (which has had to unfortunately cancel its highly anticipated 2020 season) during the paralyzing ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – an exceptionally penetrating, unexpectedly moving The Taming of the Shrew (although the free streaming ends today, the filmed production will continue to be available for purchase). I’ve been availing myself of these beautifully-filmed webcasts, having streamed the revered Ontario-based institution’s recent productions of King Lear, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet — all from the Stratford HD collection — over the past few months. With last night’s viewing, I can now add Stratford’s robustly-acted 2015 production of The Taming of the Shrew to the list. It’s no secret that the “comedy” is among Shakespeare’s most problematic works, at risk of being canceled in our current #MeToo movement era. Luckily, director Chris Abraham and his terrific cast have been able to unlock and brilliantly make a case for the play without having to resort to unwieldy “high concepts”.

So how was this achieved, you might be asking? By unflinchingly but subtly depicting and highlighting the misogyny beneath the play’s frothy lightheartedness, the Stratford team has been able to transform what most of us thought of as a farcical romantic comedy into a serious attempt at exposing the brutal realities that women have faced in the past and continue to face – in terms of the female characters within the work, as well as contemporary theatergoers’ stubborn refusal to scrap the original intent of the play. In effect, the approach plainly turns this outdated comedy into a heartbreaking tragedy. But make no mistake about it, this is still a very enjoyable production, with much of the levity (especially in the first act) left intact and conveyed beautifully. This makes the latter half – which chronicles the degrading and thorough stripping Kate’s spirit and dignity – that much more stinging and shocking. As a result, her final speech of submission becomes painful to watch for all the right reasons (i.e., not cringe-worthy).

I would attribute this exceptionally astute attention to tone and messaging first and foremost to Mr. Abraham, who largely plays it “straight” and hence avoids the heavy-handed tactics of most other directors who have attempted to tackle and make sense of the play. Many times, those productions felt forced and fell flat. Not this one. Although I was initially skeptical about Mr. Abraham’s production (e.g., with respect to the unnecessary inclusion of the play-within-a-play-within-a-play Induction prologue), it quickly dispelled any of my upfront misgivings. The acting was as top-notch as I’ve come to expect from the storied repertory company. Indeed, each character’s thoughts and emotions were articulated with astonishing care and clarity. Stratford favorites Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay were in thrillingly fine form as the notoriously feuding central couple, Petruchio and Kate. Both took headlong leaps of faith into the roles, giving courageous performances that never shied away from the comedy’s unsavory underbelly.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
Streaming Theater
Stratford Festival
2 hours, 30 minutes
Free streaming ends today