This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
William Shakespeare never penned a phrase so inelegant as "the more things change, the more they remain the same." Yet more than four centuries after he wrote them, his commentaries on the human condition are still proving the axiom true.
Among this year's offerings at Cedar City's Utah Shakespearean Festival are stories of a powerful woman roundly criticized for the sort of feisty abrasiveness that's applauded in men; a black man who demands unprecedented acceptance in an intolerant world; and various takes on the strange things people do in the name of love. Any similarities to recent news headlines are purely coincidental.
Or are they? In his ability to bare the wonders and frailties of human societies and individual hearts, Shakespeare was perhaps more prophet than bard. Maybe that explains the directorial urge to time-warp his Elizabethan characters and situations to the modern age, as director Jane Page does in a production of "The Taming of the Shrew" set during the American occupation of Italy after World War II.
In Page's version, the adventurer Petruchio is an Italian-American soldier confronting the society his ancestors left behind when they immigrated to the New World. Kate, the boisterous daughter of a Paduan restaurateur, attracts and challenges him.
Setting the play in 1947 gives the audience a new context for understanding a play often criticized for approving the subjugation of women, said the director, an avowed feminist. In Page's vision of the play, Kate and Petruchio are lovestruck, but each has to learn to bend to the other before their hasty marriage can work.
"Words mean different things at different times," Page said. "We're also looking at how the 'taming' affects the tamer."
The richness of Shakespeare's language and the intricacy of his dramatic conventions fit well in 20th-century Italy. "Life is a big meal in this setting," Page said. "People live large - they have lively, aerobic lives. We're able to make use of some wonderful stereotypes." Stereotypes, for example, such as a couple of henchmen whom Page refers to as "Mafia Lite."
Even in the 21st century, society can deal harshly with strong, independent women, said Melinda Parrett, who portrays the fiery Kate in the play. Perhaps Hillary Clinton, who has been called a "shrew" (and worse), would agree.
While Parrett admires Kate's insistence on plotting her own course, the actor admits she worried about uttering "cringe-worthy" lines in Kate's final-curtain speech about her reformed views on marriage. Yet in the context of this production, Parrett finds Kate's words moving and affirming.
"It's not about losing yourself," she said. "It's about finding out who you are in relation to someone else. What I hear is that life is too short - love requires give and take, and we should simply relax and offer support to each other. I get choked up over it. It's what I hope to feel someday."
Shakespearean plays have been updated at USF before, but not often. This year's cheeky take of "Shrew," redolent with 1940s popular music and fashion, might be the boldest one yet attempted. And it seems fitting that it comes in the first season planned by USF's new executive director, R. Scott Phillips, who asked Page for an updated concept.
"I told her I wanted something bold, fresh and new - something that would resonate with today's audiences," Phillips said. "She came up with the concept, and I think people will have a terrific romp through this."
"Taming of the Shrew" will be presented indoors at USF's Randall Jones Theatre, along with Molière's "School for Wives" and the Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof." The festival's outdoor stage will feature productions of Shakespeare's "Othello" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona" along with "Cyrano de Bergerac," an 1897 play by Edmond Rostand.
Though "Cyrano" is neither Elizabethan nor Shakespearean, Phillips considers the 1897 tragicomedy an apt choice for presentation on USF's outdoor stage, a replica of 16th-century London's Globe Theatre.
The play's 17th-century setting isn't far from Shakespeare's era, and Rostand echoes Shakespeare in his eloquent use of language and in painting his story on a broad canvas, full of interesting characters and events. "It's a story of epic proportions," Phillips said. "Audiences will be overwhelmed at its magnitude, size and scope. It's spectacular outdoors, under the stars."
"Cyrano's" director is David Ivers, better known to USF regulars as a leading actor. Rostand's story of a man whose unattractive appearance conceals the beauty of his soul reveals lasting truths about "selflessness, the secrets people keep and the secrets they give away," Ivers said.
The rise of presidential candidate Barack Obama didn't influence the choice of "Othello," as programming decisions are made far in advance. Still, Phillips feels "Othello" raises interesting questions about the country's racial politics.
In the play, Desdemona's father, Brabantio, has no difficulty welcoming the dark-skinned Othello into his home as a dinner guest. But despite Othello's impressive credentials, Brabantio can't accept the romantic liaison between him and Desdemona.
"It will be interesting to see how the American populace responds to an African-American presidential candidate," Phillips said. "Will they have the interest, strength and power to cast that ballot, or will they allow their own concerns about race and ethnicity to override that?"
But at its core, "Othello" isn't really about race but about love, as is every other play on this summer's bill. Together, the slate offers countless variations on the theme: jealous love, immature love, familial love, manipulative love and, of course, that old favorite - dysfunctional love.
Early indications suggest audiences are responding favorably. After several years of declining box-office receipts at USF, so far this season ticket sales are up, Phillips said.
Are Phillips' fresh artistic choices driving the uptick? Or have playgoers been seduced by a blockbuster season of plays about love?
No one knows. Maybe audiences are simply rediscovering the enduring appeal of William Shakespeare and the playwrights he influenced. Perhaps the Bard himself said it best in Sonnet 104:
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still.