Word: petruchio
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...sexist, he says, but it was, after all, written almost 400 years ago. Miller's patronizing tone may explain the flaw of this otherwise worthy production: it is not fun. The scenery is stunning, the direction fine, and Sarah Badel and John Cleese are engaging as Katharina and Petruchio, the shrew and her tamer. But more might have been expected of Miller, who showed his lively wit in Beyond the Fringe, and Cleese, mainspring of the Monty Python troupe. They may be doing a play from the 16th century, but they need not have left their sense of humor...
...cast is competent but uninspired, and clearly a bit confused about how to interpret the play. Kirsten Giroux's Goneril is a shallow, cold bitch-queen; Janet Rodger's Regan a bit more of a bitchy housewife. Henry Woronicz's Edmund swaggers like a comic hero, an illegitimate Petruchio. Harold Levine's Cornwall is a snivelling rat of a villain, more disgusting than threatening...
...itself off, relatively unharmed. One reason for this is the broad comic talents of three of the actors. John Bacquie intelligently plays Gremio, Bianca's overaged suitor. Richard Price (as Lucentio's impersonating servant Tranio) effortlessly outwits better men. And John Cooper turns in a commanding performance as Grumio, Petruchio's spluttering servant. His attempt to unpeel layers and layers of clothing while telling the story of Petruchio's and Kate's trek through the snow, practically steals the production...
...other reason for this recovery lies in Epstein's Petruchio. The sheer power of his voice manages to contain all of the potentially explosive elements in the play. Epstein, who appears to know how every line of his part has ever been read, is as challenging, excited, scheming, pig-headed, ironic, reflective and ultimately loving as he demands his Kate...
Still, even Epstein seems to struggle a bit with the burden; his presence seems too large for the Winthrop House stage. By matching every speech with a particular movement, Epstein's Petruchio is a hint too self-assured and a touch too calculated. He seems to know how this comedy will end from the start...