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I'm gonna say both. The Commedia style was brash and bold and bawdy. Remember that this production was 1976. Audiences had seen Hair and Oh! Calcutta by this time. So this brought a very contemporary naughtiness to the production itself, but also put him forward as a potential beefcake. This led to his Beastmaster series. But, perhaps unfortunately, it locked him into that type and made it difficult for him to branch out as an actor. So it both helped and hindered his career, IMHO.

@@craigallenheath Quite. Unfortunately Singer got cornered into roles exploiting his physicality rather than acting abilities after this.

Mine too, of the comedies, and probably my favorite over all. Glad you enjoyed it!

Good catch! He had a much more enjoyable time here than he did that day in Pescadero. ;)

@@craigallenheath HA, indeed he did! 🤣

Indeed he did! Marc Singer was not only in top shape for his production, but watch again how the company sets it up. The actor being "yeeted" positions at just the right place to be grabbed and thrown to the others, who soften the landing with their bodies. This is physical theatre at its best. Thanks for watching!

@@craigallenheath goals

He was really in his prime for this, athletic and acrobatic, not "buff" for its own sake. He bulked up later for "Beastmaster", and throbbed some more hearts. But he's had a long and successful career in varied parts, and is still making waves. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)

I agree - and glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

Some years ago I found a copy for sale through the distributor, www.kulturvideo.com. They no longer have any copies. Today, I found a DVD copy on sale at Amazon for $139 (VHS tape for $23.70) and one on Ebay for $79 new and $59 used. It's almost impossible to find now. I originally saw it played back on UMatic video tape (3/4 inch) during an acting class in 1981. It remained a brilliant memory until I found the copy and could watch it again. I felt compelled to share it here, as it is, IMHO, the best performance of Shrew ever. Hope you enjoy it!

@@craigallenheath thanks for bringing this to youtube! i had to read the play book, and this was a trumendis help. also thaks for the history on where you got this.

As a student or instructor? (or both?) I first read and discussed it in AP in 1975, and it was contentious then, but not "painful" per se. I can imagine things are different, and more difficult, today. FWIW, the way I've thought of the play itself (apart from any particular production), is that below the surface action, which is primarily to entertain, both Petruchio and Katherine are wounded people who are seeking the wrong thing at first, and end up finding the right thing quite by accident. He thinks he wants money, and she thinks she wants power, but they earn love instead, and that's enough. :) Such a plot is essential to comedy, especially classical comedy like Shakespeare, where all's well in the end despite the foolish actions of the characters. Think of poor Gremio at the end: "My cake is dough. But I'll in among the rest, out of all hope, but for my share of the feast." Even he gets a good meal when all is said and done. :) USD$0.02

I think so too. And she's the best Kate I've seen. But maybe I'm prejudiced. ;) Thanks for watching, and so glad you liked it! :)

I agree - they are equals in wit via the dialog, and the director made them equal physically with the wrestling. Perfect combination. Thanks for watching!

I'm so glad you found it here. To see a Shakespeare play performed well your first time is to appreciate it the rest of your life. At least, that's how I see it. :)

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

If he was any hotter he would burn down the theater.

@@kamion53 He sure would! I wish I was that woman acting in the play LoL.

Thanks for the note - I didn't know they toured the show beyond ACT. The codpiece? We're STILL talking about it :)

@@craigallenheath Reminds me of a line from the show _Better Off Ted_ : "Medieval Fight Club twice in one week? Man, my codpiece just got tighter."

You're welcome and thanks for watching!

Agree - everyone was brilliant but Fredi was magnificent. Despite the broad humor the role has great subtlety that she brought out perfectly. Without that, it becomes farce, not a comedy with universal meaning. Thanks for watching, and glad you enjoyed it!

@@craigallenheathI was searching for her online. This play i have read as a kid n liked it so much. Have seen The movie in which Elizabeth Taylor was there. Is Fredie still around ?

@@desigeekchishi Hi Desi - Fredi Olster is still around - lately she and her husband have been publishing really wonderful study guides of Shakespeare's plays. She continued to act in Theater and TV until around 2000 or so, then started writing about theatre. Here's her Amazon page with her books: amazon.com/Fredi-Olster/e/B000API64W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share And her IMDB page of her acting career: www.imdb.com/name/nm0648165/ Thanks for watching, and glad you liked it!

I'm not sure, exactly - it's not in the stage directions. A director makes choices that put their stamp on the author's words. I didn't take it as all an act - more like she understands her own power, even in light of the famous final speech in which she - in Shakespeare's words - says she is second to her husband. The idea that a woman might "politically" defer to her husband, while getting what she wants anyway, is out of favor these days. But in my advanced age, I've come to believe the dynamic of accepting the male ego and dealing with it diplomatically is a valid marital arrangement. Thanks for watching - hope you liked it!

It’s because in this interpretation they had to do homage to feminism, which is hilarious. Kate’s argument is that men take the greater part of pains in this world, and they view the respect and agreeableness that a wife gives as her love for him. Feminism, as a species of Marxism, hates that because it thrives upon class struggle and views all inequality as unjust.

I believe so

It's easy to dismiss this play out-of-hand, because of the premise and the broad humor. But I have always taken the meaning to be how love makes better people of us all. Looked at this way, we see that both Kate and Petruchio are "tamed" by the love that grows between them. She finds her anger cooled, and he finds his material greed blunted, by discovering that they truly care for one another, and form a bond that protects them from the "toils and troubles in the world". Thanks for watching, and glad you liked it!

Fredi Olster has an extensive career in theatre, including on Broadway, and along with her husband Rick Hamilton, has directed in regional and repertory theatre for decades. She has also acted in numerous television shows and movies, according to IMDB. In addition, she and her husband have published numerous study guides for Shakespeare's plays. This page on Amazon is a good start: www.amazon.com/Fredi-Olster/e/B000API64W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for watching Marissa and glad you liked it. I tend to think we can look at the universal elements of a work like this and see it in a context that allows for our current sensibilities but doesn't dismiss it out of hand. I've seen productions of Shrew that never move Petruchio beyond his cynical, manipulative state, or never bring Kate through any sort of transformation. One thing I love about this one is how the couple arrives at real love and mutual respect. No marriage - of whatever kind - can get to a good place without going through difficulty, and no one person in a marriage is all saint or devil. Be Well! -=|Craig|=-

Wow - I have been sharing this video for years and talking it up for decades, and you are the first person to say you saw it live. I first saw the video only five years after it was staged, and so wished I could have been in that audience. At least we have the recording. Even though I didn't see it live, this is my favorite experiences in/with theatre. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a note!

@@craigallenheath I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to see it again, and relive that experience. I was a theatre student in California when ACT was in its heyday - that theatre and William Ball's direction is one of the chief inspiration for my 45 years as a theatre professional. Many many thanks.

How uncanny. We are sharing an event - Theatre appreciation class - across a 40 year gap. Glad to meet you along the path! ;)

Here here! 😁

Great song from a great cast! Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed this video.👍

One of the reasons that I ended up training there at ACT.

The actor did a great "slow burn" take, didn't he? :)

How wonderful that you were brought together by Shakespeare's work! Congrats and thanks for watching!

Craig Heath you’re most welcome. We’ve been recast as the leads in Taming of the Shrew, many times sense. This last time, we were allowed to keep our costumes, of corse this was before Coronavirus hit.

this just made me cry ;) how sweet!!

Glad you enjoyed it!

You are very welcome. It's worth seeing again and again.

I never noticed that - but you're right! :)

I love it too - thanks for watching!

Brilliant, isn't it? I first saw this in 1981 and never tire of watching it.

@@craigallenheath Yes! I do believe Shakespeare would be thrilled and proud if he could watch the A.C.T.'s performance ...

Bernd Wahlbrinck He would roar with laughter! After all, he wrote hilarious comedies 😉

Completely agree! It's a wrestling match in words put to physical action. And they are equally matched!

So glad to post it! It's my favorite too!

Agreed - I've always felt this production came out in the end with Kate empowered, not subjugated. That can be hard to argue today, and harder still to convince. But that is how I have seen it since 1980, when I first saw it. :)

cavebear33 I totally agree! Its the best version!

Well, Kate gave as good as she got.

You are very welcome and it is my pleasure!

My sentiments exactly!