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The Taming of the Shrew

Presented by The City Theatre Company at The City Theatre

July 24-August 17, 2008

Avg. Event Rating (3.3 Stars):
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The City Theatre Company continues to heat up the summer months with William Shakespeare’s popular comedy that pits the strong-willed Kate against the wily Petruchio in a battle of wits that makes the audience wonder just who is taming whom? Peppered with fast-paced dialogue and chock full of physical humor, The Taming of the Shrew is a rough-and-tumble farce brimming with belly laughs.

Set in Padua, Lucentio is in love with Bianca, the dutiful daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. Unfortunately Bianca already has two other suitors and her father will not let her marry until her older ill-tempered sister, Katharina, is wed. Lucentio’s gold-digging friend Petruchio comes to town and arranges to meet and then marry Katharina against her will. The games is on and a lively battle of the sexes unfolds, as Petruchio takes on the monumental task of “taming” his unruly bride.

The Shakespeare comedy is intriguing because of the contemporary issues it broaches in areas of feminism, equality, domestic security, and of course, the timeless observations about the nature of love. The Taming of the Shrew is arguably Shakespeare’s funniest play. But through the laughs, it forces us to confront the uneasy compromises that marriage requires and society can demand of us. For a broad, knockabout farce, it is a surprisingly profound look at why and how we love and what we’ll sacrifice for it.

• At-a-
  Glance

  • Venue Info

    The City Theatre

    3823 Airport Boulevard
    Austin, TX 78722

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets: Tickets $15-20, Guaranteed Reserved Seating $25, Students $12, Thursdays pay what you can.

    Info Phone: 512-524-2870

    Email

  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    July 24-August 17, 2008

    Times:
    Thursday - Saturday 8:00 p.m.
    Sunday 5:30 p.m.

  • Accessibility Info

    Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

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  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "The Taming of the Shrew Review"
      Review posted by: AVIMAAN SYAM from Austin, TX, Aug 07, 2008
      

      Director Jeff Hinkle, never loses sight of this comedy's fun, wild world, with its ridiculous characters, men masquerading under false identities, and three suitors vying for the same woman. Hinkle's... Expand

      Director Jeff Hinkle, never loses sight of this comedy's fun, wild world, with its ridiculous characters, men masquerading under false identities, and three suitors vying for the same woman. Hinkle's production remembers the microwaved White Castle world it began with, and that allows for the play to have real coherency throughout. The modern setting does have its hits and misses. The good: Gremio looks and acts like some combination of LL Cool J, circa 1991, and a Homie doll; Petruchio often gallops onstage re-enacting the Monty Python and the Holy Grail faux horse ride (replete with coconut). The not-so-good: starting the second half of the show with an Austin Powers-esque urination sequence. Any modernization and placement of a Shakespearean play is met with scrutiny, though this writer has some misgivings about putting Padua into a burger joint. Still, Hinkle and company do a darn good job of honoring Shrew in all its wildness, lustiness, and fun. Collapse

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "Updated Telling"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from Austin, TX, Aug 06, 2008
      

      I was surprised, in consideration to another comment, to find that the only updates came from the clothes and the modern day, Austin setting. I had to check out some of the language for myself, but... Expand

      I was surprised, in consideration to another comment, to find that the only updates came from the clothes and the modern day, Austin setting. I had to check out some of the language for myself, but they kept to the original script. And to know the Bard is to know that he can be lewd...the actors were illustrating what Shakespeare was actually saying. From that stand point, they did an excellent job in conveying the Bard's true intent for the play, instead of glossing over words and giving them no meaning. I enjoyed the acting, certainly some more than others. A number of them could have been type casted, they played the part so comfortably. But that is, after all, the sign of a good actor. Definitely worth going to once or twice. A fun time can be had by all. Certainly all the people I went with enjoyed it! Collapse

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "Shakespeare must be turning in his grave"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from Austin, Tx, Jul 31, 2008
      

      Unless you really believe that all classics should be updated with modern themes, language, and yes... hand gestures, you should stay as far away from this production as possible. This production felt... Expand

      Unless you really believe that all classics should be updated with modern themes, language, and yes... hand gestures, you should stay as far away from this production as possible. This production felt like the culmination of a 3-day acting workshop in which the instructor told the students to come up with an original interpretation of a classic. The play is set in a burger joint, the blocking is very one-dimensional, and the pronunciation and intonation belies an almost complete lack of understanding of Shakespeare's original intent. Replete with caricaturish characterizations, "modern" slang thrown in randomly, and not one but several gratuitous "masturbatory" gestures, this production seemed to appeal only to the immature teenage boys in the audience. With the number of quality shows presented by City Theatre recently, one must cling to the hope that this is truly an anomaly, and nothing even remotely close to this abomination will ever appear on this stage again. Collapse

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• Member
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  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "The Taming of the Shrew Review"
      Review posted by: AVIMAAN SYAM from Austin, TX, Aug 07, 2008
      

      Director Jeff Hinkle, never loses sight of this comedy's fun, wild world, with its ridiculous characters, men masquerading under false identities, and three suitors vying for the same woman. Hinkle's... Expand

      Director Jeff Hinkle, never loses sight of this comedy's fun, wild world, with its ridiculous characters, men masquerading under false identities, and three suitors vying for the same woman. Hinkle's production remembers the microwaved White Castle world it began with, and that allows for the play to have real coherency throughout. The modern setting does have its hits and misses. The good: Gremio looks and acts like some combination of LL Cool J, circa 1991, and a Homie doll; Petruchio often gallops onstage re-enacting the Monty Python and the Holy Grail faux horse ride (replete with coconut). The not-so-good: starting the second half of the show with an Austin Powers-esque urination sequence. Any modernization and placement of a Shakespearean play is met with scrutiny, though this writer has some misgivings about putting Padua into a burger joint. Still, Hinkle and company do a darn good job of honoring Shrew in all its wildness, lustiness, and fun. Collapse

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "Updated Telling"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from Austin, TX, Aug 06, 2008
      

      I was surprised, in consideration to another comment, to find that the only updates came from the clothes and the modern day, Austin setting. I had to check out some of the language for myself, but... Expand

      I was surprised, in consideration to another comment, to find that the only updates came from the clothes and the modern day, Austin setting. I had to check out some of the language for myself, but they kept to the original script. And to know the Bard is to know that he can be lewd...the actors were illustrating what Shakespeare was actually saying. From that stand point, they did an excellent job in conveying the Bard's true intent for the play, instead of glossing over words and giving them no meaning. I enjoyed the acting, certainly some more than others. A number of them could have been type casted, they played the part so comfortably. But that is, after all, the sign of a good actor. Definitely worth going to once or twice. A fun time can be had by all. Certainly all the people I went with enjoyed it! Collapse

    • Event Name: The Taming of the Shrew
      "Shakespeare must be turning in his grave"
      Review posted by: Anonymous from Austin, Tx, Jul 31, 2008
      

      Unless you really believe that all classics should be updated with modern themes, language, and yes... hand gestures, you should stay as far away from this production as possible. This production felt... Expand

      Unless you really believe that all classics should be updated with modern themes, language, and yes... hand gestures, you should stay as far away from this production as possible. This production felt like the culmination of a 3-day acting workshop in which the instructor told the students to come up with an original interpretation of a classic. The play is set in a burger joint, the blocking is very one-dimensional, and the pronunciation and intonation belies an almost complete lack of understanding of Shakespeare's original intent. Replete with caricaturish characterizations, "modern" slang thrown in randomly, and not one but several gratuitous "masturbatory" gestures, this production seemed to appeal only to the immature teenage boys in the audience. With the number of quality shows presented by City Theatre recently, one must cling to the hope that this is truly an anomaly, and nothing even remotely close to this abomination will ever appear on this stage again. Collapse

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