REVIEW BY RICK PENDER

Photo By Rich Sofranko

Katherine (Marni Penning) and Petruchio (Matt Johnson) square off in Taming of the Shrew.

Modern audiences sometimes have a hard time swallowing the battle of the sexes in The Taming of the Shrew, opening the 10th season of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (CSF). The script inherently assumes that Petruchio outwits his bride, the angry Katherine: His manic, abusive behavior wears her down into submission. The play's final scene, in which Katherine makes a deferential speech chiding two other women for contrary behavior, seems either woefully outdated or cynically incongruous.

In his director's note, CSF Artistic Director Nick Rose explains that Shakespeare based Shrew on George Gascoigne's Supposes. That title is an ancient word implying disguises and mistaken identities: In fact, late in the play, a character -- revealing his own identity -- mentions how "counterfeit supposes" have blinded everyone.

Metaphorical masks and real disguises are key to Rose's unusual interpretation of Shrew: He introduces Katherine (CSF founder and now New York professional Marni Penning) in predictable brawling fury, but soon reveals her wounded vulnerability. Then he provides a Petruchio (Matt Johnson) equally committed to a role -- crazed and rambunctious -- but who has a secret side that's tender and more perceptive. In Rose's rendition, the so-called "taming" becomes a game in which the couple conspires to dupe everyone else. The approach enables Katherine, trapped in bad behavior by a coy sister and a protective father, to reclaim her self-esteem without making an overt conversion, as is often the case in Shrew. Petruchio becomes her willing collaborator in this production.

This is probably not how Shake-speare or his audiences imagined or interpreted The Taming of the Shrew, but it's the most convincing and coherent re-thinking of the play I've ever seen. Its success hinges on Penning's subtle acting: The petite actress screeches and attacks one and all at the outset, but we see the depth (and source) of Kather-ine's wounded psyche: She yearns for a kind word and a bit of loving attention -- most of which has been lavished upon her sister. When Petruchio offers it, facetiously or not, she melts -- momentarily and unwittingly at first, then with increasing understanding of the ruse Petruchio invites her to play.

This interpretation of Katherine would fail without a counter-balance from Petruchio, and Johnson -- often the purveyor of broadly comic caricatures in CSF productions -- is up to the task. Of course, he handles with zest the groom's madcap behavior at the wedding and his contrary treatment of his bride, but there are moments when his mask drops and we see his own vulnerability and his uncertainty as to whether the game he's playing will succeed.

The swirling subplots -- Katherine's sister, Bianca (Nancy Eyermann), is pursued by multiple suitors who try to win her by disguising themselves, tricking father Baptista (a blustering Brian Isaac Phillips) and one another -- are adequately handled, if less satisfactory. At the outset, it's tough to sort out who's doing what to whom, so quick is the bantering wordplay. Modern audiences might prefer a tad less speed in favor of more comprehension, especially since the theme underlying this production is one of hidden identities. Nevertheless, CSF's season opener is a chance to see new faces joining this year's company (especially Christopher Zorker handling quick changes for five different and hilarious bit roles), and a few enjoyed in the past (Chris Guthrie, as Petruchio's servant, Grumio, provides some very funny verbal sound effects to underscore a brash speech by his master).

CSF's recent financial and leadership challenges seem to be behind them --although scenic design for this production is minimal. Costumes are a seemingly haphazard collection from the early 20th century -- bowler hats and skimmers, 1920s suits, Edwardian waistcoats, more contemporary dresses -- that appear to be pulled from storage without much eye for compatibility or color coordination). But that's a minor issue: If you enjoy rollicking Shakespearean comedy freshened with a contemporary perspective -- CSF's stock in trade for a decade -- this is a show you'll want to see.
Grade: A-

E-mail Rick Pender

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