This 2020 adaptation/ production of Taming of The Shrew is one that will stick with anyone from the state of Washington. By using Cities (and stereotypes) us Washingtonians are more than familiar with, the audience is given a production that feels very personal. Each characters’ resident City is represented by their personality and that in itself is an impressive feat to accurately portray all those personalities in their respective characters.  To say there is a standout performance would be unfair to whoever wasn’t selected, especially since the venue, The Dukesbay Theater in Tacoma, is a non profit organization and these amazing performers pour their hearts and souls into their performances purely out of love for the art.

If you’re familiar with the story Taming of The Shrew, (Unlike myself) then you know what you’re in for. Being unfamiliar with it, I found this modernized iteration to be more engaging and appealing being from Washington. Directed for the stage by Stass Reynolds, the play does take some liberties with some characters and the ending, all of which play out in a very intriguing and rewarding manner, so even for those that are familiar with the story, they’ll be in for a surprise or two! As for the cast, everyone is a standout from Kaylie Rainer as Kate, The titular “Shrew”, to Nigel Kelly as Grumio. The entire cast rounds out a very heartfelt, often times hilarious, and even heartbreaking performances, made all the more impressive by the fact that there was no intermission in the plays 2 hour runtime, so all cast had to remember their lines and be on top of their duties/ performance for the duration.

The times when there were scene changes, the audience was gifted with music (I’m sure not commonly found in this particular play or any others), such as The Clash and The Smiths to name a couple. Reynolds really went all out in modernizing this play, which was a risky move, but paid off extremely well. Tol & Smol Theater Productions did an amazing/ Eco friendly playbill, making it digital for those that wanted one, as well as their recycled water bottle project. Whether a fan of The Shrew or not, this play is one not to miss! With only one more week of shows, already impressively 100% sold, so if you missed out sorry! This has been my third time at the Dukesbay Theater and it may have been the best! Even with the overwhelming reception from the show, expectations were high and neither cast nor crew disappointed! While this review may be too late to raise awareness for this particular production, I hope it’s not too late to raise awareness for further Dukesbay productions, a company that anyone who appreciates the arts should have on their radar!

10 out of 10!

Photos taken by Chap Wolff