Sun. Nov. 8
 
(Contributed by Matt Robinson) Welcome to the Wild Cat Bar- Home of the most Shakespearean suds this side of Stratford. It's at the Garage in Harvard Square, where the Actors' Shakespeare Project in presenting “The Taming of the Shrew” presented by Actors’ wrapping up Sunday Nov. 8.
 
If you happen to stumble into this underground establishment, you will not be alone. In fact, the main action of the performance there is offered for the sake of one special stumbler named Christopher Sly who, in a rarely-performed Shakespearean bonus called “The Induction,” is pulled out of his drunken stupor into a played-upon life of luxury and then into an actual play- And a very good play at that!

With its jukebox pumping out Classic Rock (though ironically no “I am Woman”), its darts and pool table and touches of neon and industrial lighting, the Wild Cat may not be the most likely place for a Shakespearean play, but then this is no average company performing it! ASP is well known for taking found spaces and found performance parts and making more than the most of them- and “Taming” is no exception.
 
Due to the budget cuts all arts organizations are facing these days, the actors in ASP and in their play-within-a-play are forced to double, triple, and even quadruple their roles. For example, Pink Mantis band member Michael Forden- Walker plays three separate roles, as well as offering sound effects and serving as a bartender, pipe player, and chief cook and bottle washer! As they introduce and involve their Sly staged audience in the performance, the larger audience is also guided into the tale and better engaged as well.

In addition to the explanations that are offered Sly and the other fellows in the Cat, this “Shrew” is tinted with touches of the musical which it inspired (“Kiss Me Kate”) and tamed by strong performances by such ASP regulars as Forden-Walker, a sly and strutting Sly/Petruchio played by Benjamin Evett, a multi-accented and multi-talented Craig Mathers as Gremio and the Pedant, a femme-inized Bianca played by Ross Bennett Hurwitz, and a boots and bridal gown Kate played by Sarah Newhouse (the only true chick in the group who easily holds her own with the gang of guys). The play is also helped along by efficient use of simple sets and lighting elements that consist primarily of a few industrial spool tables and some moveable auto shop lamps and holiday lights, and by the comfortable, intimate atmosphere for which ASP is also known. As most performances host only a few hundred audience members, every seat is a good one and every audience member is a virtual and sometimes actual part of the play!
 
Mixing marital mysteries and misogyny with masochistic fun (“purple nurples” anyone?), ASPs “Shrew” is far from tame but all the more fun for it! Though it proves how tough dating can be, the show itself makes for a great date! And if, as the text suggests, “a merry play…lengthens life,” this is certainly good for a few hours!

Tickets are $38-47.00 for Adults, $34-44.00 for Seniors (65 & older), $25-40.00 for Students (22 & under). Check website below for showtimes.

36 JFK Street, Cambridge, 866-811-4111 www.actorsshakespeareproject.org