Taming of the Shrew play begins tonight

It’s opening night for Maricopa High School Acting Up. It’s the first of four performances of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew by the high school drama club.

Twenty-one cast members and an additional 10 crew members will show off seven weeks of hard work beginning at 7 p.m. at Maricopa High School’s Multi-purpose Room.

“It’s pretty amazing to be doing Shakespeare in that amount of time, but the students are great,” said Theatre Arts Director Carrie Vargas.

Vargas has spearheaded significant growth in the drama program, which will also produce an evening of one-act plays directed in February and a spring musical, Kiss Me Kate, in April. Ten new cast members will appear in the Taming of the Shrew and the demand for drama class has increased as well with Vargas currently teaching three classes versus just one last year.

Of his part, actor Andrew McClelland, said “Lucentio is a young man that suddenly falls in love. I personally love playing this part and all that it entails. When I found out that I was cast in the role, I was overjoyed. Through my role I get to be a hopelessly in love, wide-eyed student whose newfound love overtakes him.”

“Its comedy is matched with lavish costumes, set and characters that should mesmerize audiences,” according to McClelland, whose future in marketing might rival that of acting. “I am excited about the opening of the play and cannot wait to perform in front of a large audience.”

Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults and are available at the door or in advance by emailing Vargas at [email protected]. Performances will be tonight, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Due to construction on campus, parking will be in the front of the school near the main office.

Play summary:
The Taming of the Shrew is one of the great comedy plays by William Shakespeare. The beautiful and gentle Bianca (Kim Aiello) has no shortage of admirers, including Lucentio (Andrew McClellend), Gremio (Carson Rose) and Hortensio (Kyle DeVries). But her mother, Baptista (Lindsay Jillson), insists that she will not marry until her shrewish sister, Katharina (Brittany Rimer), is betrothed.

Bianca’s suitors persuade fortune-seeker Petruchio (Jerry Allen) to court her. The suitors pay for any costs involved and there is also the goal of Katharina’s dowry.

Petruchio marries Katharina and he carries Katharina off to his country house with his servant Grumio (Alicia Redger). Petruchio intends to browbeat Katharina into submission and he denies her food, sleep and her new clothes, whilst continuously singing her praises. Katharina is tamed.

They return to Padua where Lucentio has won Bianca. At a banquet they wager on who has the most obedient wife. Each wife is issued with commands but only Katharina obeys and promptly lectures everyone on the importance of wifely submission.