Maricopa High School Theatre Company debuted its version of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” Thursday at the Performing Arts Center. The Bard’s popular battle of the sexes and battle of wills is softened just a bit but is still a crackling commentary on human relations.
Director Cynthia Calhoun has her cast of students whipped into Shakespearean shape, and the result is an entertaining comedy. In a post-Weinstein world, what could be tricky passages are handled with aplomb without losing innuendo.
In the lead roles, Aidyn Curtis as the head-strong Kate and Collin Martin as bombastic Petruchio are exceptional in a solid cast that is clearly having a good time with ancient text. Other standouts include Porter Jones as Hortensio, the phony music tutor, Ivie Keene as Petruchio’s overly literal servant, and Taya Johnson, who turns the small role of Biondella into something memorable.
The production runs through Saturday, with nightly performances at 7 p.m. plus a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. Tickets are $5.
![An image of shredded paper. [Pixabay]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shredded-paper-168650_1280-100x70.jpg "Shred-A-Thon to take place tomorrow")
