The Taming of the Shrew

Frog & Peach Theatre Company Presents
The Taming of the Shrew
Shakespeare's Battle of the Sexes Royale!
Thursday, October 11, 2012 - Sunday, November 4, 2012
Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm - Sundays at 3pm

West End Theater, 263 West 86th St. (B'way and West End Ave.) Building, theater and restrooms are all wheelchair accessible.

Runs 1:45 (one intermission)

Frog & Peach Theatre Company, "a brave company that is a jewel of Off-Broadway" (Ronald Gross, NY Theater Buying Guide), will present a Felliniesque vision of Padua in its production of "The Taming of the Shrew" this October. Artistic Director Lynnea Benson directs. The classic will be set in Italy in the early 1960s in order to comment on the effect of social class and money today: how they affect love, both romantic and filial.

Ms. Benson explains that Shakespeare probably wanted to make similar statements about contemporary English society and set the play in Italy because of the stereotype that Italians expressed themselves emotionally better than his countrymen. The conceit still works for Benson, who would hold a mirror up to New York society today by setting "Shrew" in a Felliniesque Padua of the early 1960s. It's a period when Italy's horrible days of World War II were finally past; the old ways were still there but there was a return of pleasure and the enjoyment of luxurious things. In this setting, she can comment on the the "eternal students" of the Upper West Side, who remain tied to their parents' luxury rather than go out on their own, and to the sex games that young women play in our time in our city. Baptista Minola is changed from the father of Katherina and Bianca to their mother, making her a fit companion to the Widow, with both women plowing gustily through their late husbands' money and enjoying life as best they can. The rest of the principals remain more or less true to their Shakespearean origins.

"The Taming of the Shrew" will be presented in repertory with a series for young audiences, "Tinkerbell Theater," which adapts Fairy Tales to theater with a "Rocky and Bullwinkle" touch. The West End Theater is located at 263 West 86th St. (B'way and West End Ave.). "The Taming of the Shrew" will be performed Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM beginning October 11 and running through November 4. General admission tickets are $18.00 and seniors and students are admitted for $12. For tickets call SMARTTIX at 212-868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com. The building, theater and its restrooms are all wheelchair accessible.

About The Company
Frog and Peach Theatre Company (www.frogandpeachtheatre.org), now in its sixteenth season, is one of the Upper West Side's most under-appreciated Shakespeare resources. It was co-founded by Ted Zurkowski and Lynnea Benson - both lifetime members of The Actors Studio - and is dedicated to bringing Shakespeare's plays in a way that is thrilling, fast-paced, true to the text, and startlingly relevant to modern audiences. Director Lynnea Benson has directed over two dozen Shakespeare productions for Frog and Peach including "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Twelfth Night," "Cymbeline," "Macbeth," "As You Like It" (with Sidney Williams and Emmy-winner Camryn Grimes) "Richard III" (starring Anatol Yusef of HBO's Boardwalk Empire); "Hamlet" (with Austin Pendleton as Claudius and The Ghost); "Richard II" (with Mr. Pendleton as Richard), "Macbeth" with Jason Kuschner in the title role, "The Merchant of Venice" and "King John" (with Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno as Blanche). Ms. Benson is Artistic Director and co-founder of Frog and Peach.