BY TERESA SCHWARZ | Taming of the Shrew was the best comedic production I have seen at Stover Theatre, and I have attended quite a few of them. The cast and crew were able to develop the Shakespearean tale with its own unique twists, and best of all, they added some modem spice. The show was quite humorous and the cast was filled with dynamic actors who pulled their parts off without much trouble.

Kate, played by Stover regular Erin Lett, was filled with all the attitude and expressiveness that one would expect from a shrew. I especially loved the way Lett interacted with Petruchio, portrayed by Dan Pasquini. The two made the mad couple seem so realistic: Pasquini’s macho act was perfectly matched with the gestures and facial expressions, making his lines priceless.

Another character that was absolutely delightful was Christopher Sly, the drunk turned lord played by Stover veteran Eric Johnson. The only disappointment was that the richness of the character was restricted to a few scenes, yet the night I attended the show, Johnson stayed in character throughout the intermission, speaking with audience members in an accent. His character was very charming.

Another talented actor was Jared Wunderlich, who portrayed the lovely Bianca. His gestures and movements were very well thought-out in order to capture the feminine gracefulness of his character. Unfortunately, his wig was a bit too loose for all the rough-housing his sister Kate gives him, and it almost fell off. Wunderlich recovered from that problem and finished the scene smoothly and gracefully

Two actresses who the improved the humor by ten-fold were Jessica Travis as Biondello and Chrissy Pinera as Grumio. These two gave great performances that involved body movements and vocal inflections that brought the unbalanced nature of the characters to life. These two talented ladies managed to bring humor to the plot, arid their characters were quite important to the play.

As far as the company goes, they played an interesting mix of roles that they shifted around with ease. Each one had important supporting background roles that made the play more dynamic. Without such a large and talented company, the show would have had rough spots that could not have been carried without them. Their performances refined many scenes and gave the play the support all such shows need.

Finally, I would like to commend the company for the way they portrayed the play within a play, and how they mixed the past costumes with the present style. The costume design had a sense of humor and was entirely appropriate . for the various members of the cast.

All in all I loved the production and I wished I had time to attend it every night.