Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene puts a little twang on ‘The Tamin’ of the Shrew’ in Western twist

A couple summers ago, two Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene actors were performing a modern take on a scene from “The Taming of the Shrew” at Art on the Green in Coeur d’Alene.

Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene Executive Director Maggie Johnson turned to Mary Bowers, the artistic and educational director, and said, “It would be great to do it as a Western.”

At that moment, “The Tamin’ of the Shrew” was born. Think Shakespeare, of course, but also fringe, cowboy boots and a handful of “y’alls” and “yeehaws” tastefully thrown in for good measure.

“It fits the play so well,” Bowers said. “We’ve got female icons of that era, Annie Oakley. There were women who were striking out. We see a lot of strong women in the Old West, and it seemed to really work with this wild, out of control Kate, and this smooth talking Petruchio who comes to tame her and win her. It really is a great marriage of an updated setting and play.”

In “The Taming of the Shrew,” the “shrew” in question is Katherine (Shelby Marcott), the oldest daughter of Baptista Minola (Amanda Moore). Many men have deemed Katherine as being unmarriable because of her (gasp!) assertiveness.

Then there’s Katherine’s younger sister Bianca (Lucy Simpson), who many, including Hortensio (Brent Starrh) and Gremio (James Davis), are interested in marrying. The problem is that Baptista has forbidden Bianca from getting married until Katherine herself has walked down the aisle.

Bianca’s beaus then decided to work together to find Katherine a husband so they may attempt to woo her. Enter Petruchio (Nick Kittilstved), who has just arrived in Padua from Verona. Petruchio tells his old friend Hortensio that he is looking to enjoy life and get married, and Hortensio gets to work matchmaking Petruchio and Katherine.

The cast also includes Seth Weddle, Ben Schulzke, Beth Ellingwood, William Marlowe, Geneva Leonard, Jan Harrison, Roger Huntman, Jak Oritt, Jonathon Huntman, Melissa Walters, Dean Steigleder, Angelica Michaels and Trigger Weddle.

“The Tamin’ of the Shrew” opens Friday and runs through March 22 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene.

Those who have taken in a Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene show or two will recognize names on the cast list, but some might be surprised to see Marcott as Katherine, or Kate, including Marcott herself, as she didn’t actually audition for the role.

Bowers said Marcott has only played small- to medium-sized roles for the company, but after she and her assistant directors Kittilstved and Lauren Sherman weren’t able to find an actor who fit the part at auditions, she thought of Marcott.

“She’s the hardest working actor in terms of learning her craft,” she said. “She takes acting lessons and music lessons, and she works so hard. She has such a natural presence.”

Bowers didn’t cast this show any differently than a standard production, trusting the actors to juggle Shakespeare’s writing with the Western setting.

Bowers is “notoriously anti-accent” when she directs, so she didn’t anticipate having Southern accents in “The Tamin’ of the Shrew.” But when Kittilstved auditioned with a drawl, she realized that was the way to go for this production.

Shakespeare’s work is so adaptable, she said, that the accent and those spare “y’alls” really work.

The set is fairly simple, while the costumes lean into the Western setting, with a fringe-jacket-clad Petruchio, for example, as well as full skirts Oakley might wear and cowboy boots.

Bowers knows there is a fine line between updating and parodying, and she doesn’t want “The Tamin’ of the Shrew” to fall in the latter category.

There are elements from this play that don’t sit comfortably in the 21st century, she said, like the idea of a woman needing taming. It’s possible that Shakespeare wrote that as a satire, so “The Tamin’ of the Shrew” plays into that to make the show sit better with modern sensibilities.

Kate may be out of control, but she’s also deeply unhappy. Petruchio too isn’t actually looking to fall in love. Instead, he’s looking for a rich bride.

“We took the take on it that Petruchio is always kind of putting on an act,” Bowers said. “He’s a bit of a rogue, a rascal. He tames Kate by engaging her in the gameplaying that he’s engaging in. He gets her to join the ‘Let’s have fun with this’ idea.”

At the end of the play, Kate has a monologue about how women should serve and obey their husbands, and the company has chosen to have a little fun with that too. The relationship overall reads as if Kate isn’t lessened by Petruchio but rather brought to herself by him, Bowers said.

The story of an assertive woman being “tamed” has appeared time and time again on stage and onscreen since “The Taming of the Shrew,” perhaps most famously in “Kiss Me, Kate” and “10 Things I Hate About You” showing, in part, that Shakespeare’s plays work well when adapted and modernized.

In fact, Bowers said alternate settings in and updates to productions of Shakespeare’s works have been the norm for about 100 years. In Shakespeare’s day, the actors wore what would have been considered contemporary clothing, so if you think about it, fringe jackets and cowboy boots really aren’t too unusual.

Bowers said you’ll never see a Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene production with Elizabethan ruffles, tights and doublets, partially in an attempt to make Shakespeare more relatable and accessible.

“We’re dedicated to accessible Shakespeare,” she said. “At the same time, fully authentic.”

Working to make Shakespeare even more fun, the Shakespeare Coeur d’Alene team is inviting audience members to dress in their best Western wear, including bolo ties and duster coats, cowboy hats and denim jeans.

There will also be live music from Petruchio and the Shrews, a four-piece bluegrass ensemble led by Kittilstved, before the show.

“We’re bringing something really unique to North Idaho,” Bowers said. “We are presenting classical theater in fresh, interesting, fun ways.”

But even without the Western setting and clothing, Bowers is sure audiences, especially those not already into Shakespeare, will like “The Taming of the Shrew,” because it’s easy to understand and is a lot of fun to watch, with elements of slapstick and farce.

“It is a great opening-the-door-to-Shakespeare play to see,” Bowers said. “It’s the antidote to anybody who thinks Shakespeare is stuffy.”