By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles McMahon
March 19 - May 3, 2015

Growing up in her father's house, Katherine has always ruled the roost but now finds herself eclipsed as her seemingly sweet younger sister Bianca comes of age. Kate is trapped, unable to endure the silly suitors of Padua and unwilling to let her little sister outshine her. Enter cunning (but possibly mad) Petruchio, the first man to ever keep up with her quick wits and sharp turns. It's Shrew as you have never seen it before – the battle of the sexes becomes a tango in which Kate and Petruchio must face the music and dance...literally. Their courtship is both captivating and combative, but the question remains: who is going to lead?

"Nobody does Shakespeare comedy better than Lantern Theater Company!" –CurtainUp

David Bardeen as Gremio/Ensemble  •  K. O'Rourke as Bianca/Ensemble  •  Nathan Foley as Baptista/Ensemble  •  J Hernandez as Petruchio/Ensemble  •  Dave Johnson as Grumio/Ensemble  •  Joanna Liao as Katherine/Ensemble  •  Ahren Potratz as Lucentio/Ensemble  •  Matt Tallman as Hortensio/Ensemble  •  Bradley K. Wrenn as Tranio/Ensemble

Meghan Jones, Production Manager  •  Lance Kniskern, Set Designer  •  Mark Mariani, Costume Designer  •  Shon Causer, Lighting Designer  •  Mark Valenzuela, Sound Designer  •  K. O'Rourke, Choreographer  •  Dale Roth Nadel, Props Master  •  J. Alex Cordaro, Movement Consultant  •  Rebecca Smith, Stage Manager  •  Carly Bodnar, Assistant Director

"Fresh, funny, and full of life..." –The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Superlative entertainment! Among [director] McMahon's skills is an ability to achieve with actors an exceptionally close pairing of language with dramatic movement, including slapstick, physical gags, earnestness, or whatever is called for. The resulting precise yet apparently freewheeling idiosyncratic comic action is a trademark of Lantern's Shakespeare comedies. The rapt audience, drawn in by this frolic, loved it. On entering St. Stephen's Theater I wondered if my comment from 2005, 'Nobody does Shakespeare comedy better than Lantern Theater Company' would still hold up. I have not changed my mind." –CurtainUp

"There is not a single misstep in the Lantern's smart and hilarious dance-infused vision. Lance Kniskern's multi-level set design captures the beauty of historic Padua, while its six doors and three shuttered windows support [Charles] McMahon's witty allusions to the theatrical genre of the door-slammer farce. Mark Mariani's costumes thrust us into the 1930s – the era of both the tango and the screwball comedy that inform the production – and an outstanding ensemble of nine, all cast in multiple roles, delivers the fast-paced dialogue and physical comedy with non-stop laughs and a true understanding of Shakespeare's farcical situations, ridiculous characters, and ironic words." –Phindie

"Screamingly funny. Gags like sausage nunchucks and characters literally kicking the bucket accompany sharp performances by a beautifully hilarious cast. The main action of the play concludes with a traditional dance by untraditional means as everyone but the main couple does the tango with whoever and whatever is available, be it a new spouse, a new in-law, or a new mop. For all that the Lantern Theater's adaptation addresses a serious subject, it does so with humor and subtlety; it proves that for a performance of The Taming of the Shrew to stay relevant in the modern world as a comedy, it just needs the right partner." –PlayShakespeare.com

"Far from being a misogynistic relic, Taming reveals the compromises necessary on both sides of successful relationships, as two negotiate complementary roles to form something together that is better than what either could achieve alone." –Broad Street Review