Originally commissioned by the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2003 it made it’s world premiere at the Center in January 2004. After receiving rave reviews for Stephen Mills’ clever interpretation of this Shakespearian classic it has traveled the country and now comes back to Austin as Ballet Austin brings it to the stage of Bass Concert Hall as Ballet Austin performs there for the final time before it closes.
The Story:
Lucentio sees Baptista and his two daughters, Bianca and Kate, and instantly falls in love with Bianca. However, she already has two suitors, Gremio and Hortensio. Baptista insists that Kate, as the elder sister, be married first. Unfortunately, Kate’s behavior is so awful that no one wants to marry her. She has had many suitors, yet she drives them away with her bad temper and behavior. On the contrary, Bianca displays all of the kind and gentle qualities that Kate does not. The ballet begins with Bianca’s three suitors serenading her. Kate rudely interrupts the love songs and awakened neighbors chase away the lovers. Meanwhile in a nearby tavern,Hort ensio’s friend, Petruchio, is robbed.When he hears about Kate and her wealth, Petruchio decides to marry her sight unseen. He meets Baptista and asks for permission to marry Kate. When Kate and Petruchio that he finds her gentle and courteous. Determined Petruchio sets the wedding, freeing Bianca to marry.
Petruchio begins “taming” Kate by showing up late to their wedding. After more embarrassing behavior during the ceremony, Petruchio refuses to stay for the wedding feast. He then whisks Kate off to his country home. Petruchio behaves worse than Kate ever did. He shouts insults at the servants, complains the food is overcooked and refuses to eat it. Kate defends the servants and asks Petruchio to show patience. However, he does not give in, even pretending that he loves her so much he cannot allow her to eat burned food or sleep in a poorly made bed. During a dream scene,we see how Petruchio and Kate work out their differences. Meanwhile, two strangers approach Hortensio and Gremio, Bianca’s suitors, at a carnival. They each believe the woman they see to be Bianca and each get married.Of course, Lucentio planned all this. At Bianca and Lucentio’s wedding celebration, Petruchio and Kate show their love for each other. To the surprise of every guest, Kate seems to be the most kind and loving wife. |
by: Sondra Lomax
The Taming of the Shrew, Ballet Austin's newest full-length offering by artistic director Stephen Mills, condenses Shakespeare's comic battle of the sexes into three acts of rollicking fun. Warm, fresh, and instantly appealing, it balances slapstick humor with classical finesse.
Shrew is Mills' fourth Shakespearean ballet, succeeding Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. The romp follows Kate, a spoiled, strong-willed woman, who ultimately bows to her husband Petruchio's authority, once she is softened by love.
For the Austin premiere, the hyperkinetic action kept the audience riveted and laughing, especially when Kate (danced on alternate nights by Margot Brown and Allisyn Paino) battled Petruchio (roguishly portrayed by Jim Stein). Kate's flat-footed stomping and sulking contrasted with Petruchio's wide-legged stance and determined pirouettes.
Long-limbed Brown danced a sexy, sassy Kate, while Paino's fearless, razor-sharp attack evoked a mean-spirited brat. Gina Patterson and Inga Lujerenko shared the role of Bianca, Kate's sweet younger sister, with Lujerenko's mischievous, flirty portrayal contrasting Patterson's demure, modest approach.
Noted for his richly textured choreography, Mills also excels at physical comedy, both subtle and broad. He staged the action like a musical theatre director, with dancers sliding, leaping, and literally hanging off the set. Anthony Casati, Eric Midgley, and Frank Shott, as Bianca's suitors, whizzed through playful, athletic variations. Shrew employed deceptively classical trappings, yet Mills infused the dancing with contemporary sensibilities through dense, interwoven moves, unconventional pas de deux, and unorthodox touches: Petruchio bicycled to his wedding; the dream sequence duet morphed into a pas de trois with an oversized red ball; and in one hilarious scene, the dancers even spoke.
Masked commedia dell'arte players, who served as corps de ballet, scene changers, and assorted townspeople, glided through shifting, perky formations accompanied by a composite score of Vivaldi and Scarlatti selections. Tommy Bourgeois's sparse white set, accented by green box shrubs and clear, Plexiglas furniture, elicited a sunny Mediterranean feel, framed by Tony Tucci's soft lighting.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Dance Magazine, Inc.
Ballet Austin
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