by Terrance Mc Arthur

The 1960s—Go-Go Boots. Miniskirts. Laugh-In. William Shakespeare.

Wait a minute! William Shakespeare?

That’s what you’ll get int the Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre production of The Taming of the Shrew, now playing through August 17.

This is not GCP’s first time-shifted production of Shrew. In 1991, it was set in the Old West of cowboys and saloon girls. This 60s version is presented against a re-creation of the Laugh-In joke wall, complete with odd-shaped panels that open to allow heads to pop through and eavesdrop or announce the location of the next scene.

Petruchio (Jonathan Shadle) is persuaded to marry the rich Katherina (Shelby Guizar) by his friend Lucentio (Anthony teNyenhuis), who is in love with Kate’s younger sister, Bianca (Madeline Wristen). The young women’s father (Ken Stocks) won’t let Bianca be wooed until Kate is wed. Kate and Petruchio’s first meeting is rocky, with insults flying both ways, fast and furious. After a wild and crazy wedding, Petruchio goes contrary, denying her food and drink, claiming day is night, all the while saying it’s because he loves her so much. It’s his way of breaking Kate of her headstrong ways. Is she tamed? Or is he?

Guizar is tall, elegant, and commanding as the willful woman who doesn’t want to fit the rules of her era. She slings insults with ease, stands proudly across boxes like the Colossus of Rhodes, and makes Shakespeare’s words ring clearly.

Shadle is cool and aloof as Petruchio, a long, lanky, sharp-dressed man with a touch of Agent Smith from the Matrix movies. He moves across the stage with smooth authority, a man who wants what he wants (In this case, a rich wife) and knows how to get it. Shadle and Guizar are among the eight performers making their GCP debuts in this show.

Bianca is the good girl who knows how to manipulate her way by playing the naïve victim, and Wristen amps up the power, as if the good girl is actually the Bad Seed. She looks cute, but there is more here than meets the eye.

teNyenhuis plays the would-be lover who trades places with his servant, Tranio (Nico Diviccaro) to pretend to be a tutor offered to enhance Bianca’s education, while wooing her as part of his lessons. He is earnest and straightforward, even as a liar. Diviccaro, as the servant who suggests his master’s course of pretense, is wily and clever as he pretends to be the suitor and invents ways to cover his tracks, by tricking a stranger (Guinevere J. Thelin) into pretending to be Lucentio’s father. Thelin is always a charming player, a little wind-up toy who manically takes the audience with her with her wide eyes and angular movements. Mason Flores plays Lucentio’s real father, a brusque fellow with an air of the gangster about him.

Stocks is patriarchal as the father of Kate and Bianca, and taken in by Bianca’s innocent act (like most of the characters). Noah Miranda goes from the antic goofiness of his work in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged to a stuffy, nerdish suitor of Bianca who pretends to be a music tutor for her.

J. Daniel Herring’s directing takes plays down interesting paths, as he guides Shrew into the Swinging Sixties. David Pierce’s scenic design and crew transform the 2nd Space into the Laugh-In set (without the trap doors). Ginger Kay Lewis-Reed recreates the 60s with flash for the women and kitsch for the men.

It’s a groovy interpretation from a version of Shakespeare edited by Vonda Schuster (removing the Christopher Sly prologue scene). Lively and fast-moving, it’s a fun way to spend an evening at the theatre. You bet your sweet bippy!

The 2nd Space Theatre is at 928 E. Olive Ave, Fresno. For tickets and further information, contact gcplayers.com, or call (559) 266-9494. Comic magic awaits you.

If you love local theatre, be sure to check out Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and also on podbean.

Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. You can also find more theatre coming up on KRL’s Local Theatre event page.

Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.