Chris Coculuzzi and Alexandra Milne. Photo by Kathy Plamondon
Only one fringe show but spent a lot of time today checking out events at the fringe tent.
I had The Icon Experience but since I signed an NDA, all I can say is:
- I don't know who it was, even with the clues. Doesn't really matter as I wasn't there for the brush of fame. I've met many famous people in my life. No biggie. If I'm meant to know, I'll find out at some point.
- The video made available to us later in the evening really helped me understand the performance I saw. It wouldn't have had such an impact on me without it.
- I'm really glad I did it. It was a unique experience.
Congrats to Lisa Anita Wegner and Workman Arts for pulling this off. A lot of care has been taken and it shows.
In a completely different vein, I ended my evening with the men of Boylesque TO. I had the opportunity to work with Dew Lily on a show and James and the Giant Pasty is one of my favourite people so it was a thrill to get to see them strut their stuff again. Especially loved Dew representing my team in vintage 70s boys wear, including the satin shorts! I've kept it under wraps for fear of trolls but I am the founder of Jays in The House (JITH), so I loved these worlds colliding.
Ok, on to the one actual fringe show I saw last night.
The Taming of the Shrew
I was really looking forward to this one for a few reasons - I love the courtyard at St George the Martyr; I'm a big fan of director Nicole Arends' work; and I have worked with Chris Coculuzzi & Scott Moore on shows a lifetime ago and love them both. So I felt going in that they would do their best to mitigate the truly horrible main plot of the play. (For those who don't know it, it's about breaking a headstrong woman by abusing her.)
Sadly, the production didn't redeem the play. I really felt for Alexandra Milne having to try to make the mental leaps of her character's journey. (In the beginning, her character Katherine is violent, true, but that doesn't justify starving her and keeping her awake for days on end all in the name of love. It's the hallmark of a classic abuser.) She does a great job on the subtext, showing us a woman barely containing her rage at being considered less than her sister. I felt like I was watching an actual woman rather than the stereotype that Shakespeare wrote. (Dude wrote some great roles for women, so this play is a real head-shaker.)
She also has great chemistry with her Petruchio, the aforementioned Chris Coculuzzi. He puts in a lot of effort to show that he is really taken with her and struggles with what he's doing, which is the best you can do with what is on the page. He's charismatic and caring when his attention is on her, which becomes a head-scratcher with the rest of his behaviour but again, that's on the script, not this production. His diction is the clearest of anyone on the stage and he commands your attention, which is what his character needs to do to have this make any sense. Together, they create a soft space that has a separate feel that the rest of the play, or how they behave to anyone else.
One decision I really appreciated and want to make note of is that in spite of the script having Petruchio forcing a kiss on Kate when they first meet, the production has her stopping it and him being ok with that. We only see them actually kiss when they've both softened towards each other, which makes it an earned moment. Great choice. I also appreciated tying in Petruchio's behaviour in with the image of a falconer training his bird, including Petruchio wearing a falconer's glove in the "taming" section. He removes it just before they enter her father's house for the finale, signaling that he's done treating her badly. That visual reminder of Petruchio using a training technique doesn't get his behaviour off the hook but does give a bit of helpful context.
So if the script is so problematic, why take it on? For starters, the initial meeting between Katherine and Petruchio is a classic bit of sophisticated wordplay and a ton of fun. They nailed it. I also suspect it has to do with the fun of the secondary plot, which has to do with Katherine's sister Bianca and her suitors. All the actors acquit themselves well here. I especially enjoyed Paige Madsen's Tranio, the "fixer" character of the play. She never let us forget that Tranio is playing a role and making it up as they go along but appears confident enough that everyone else is fooled. I really felt that they were having a blast juggling all the balls.
The cast is strong all around and Nicole makes wonderful use of the space. You get to move around to various sections, so be prepared. In some of the outer areas, there is park noise to contend with but the diction is strong enough that very little dialogue was lost. (Of course, this was a Thursday evening so it may be more problematic on other days.) As I expected, it's well done Shakespeare and a very pleasant night out. If you're a person who enjoys the play, or someone who is able to look past its problematic aspects if it's a great production, get out to see it. You won't regret it!
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