Raise a glass for BOOZY BARD’S RECLAIMING THE SHREW
St. Louis Shakespeare Festival hits the boards at the Schlafly Tap Room to present Boozy Bard’s Reclaiming the Shrew. Adults age 21 and over who enjoy Shakespeare (or those looking for a take on Shakespeare that’s outrageously funny, witty, and easy to follow) and any adults with a sense of adventure and a taste for spirited reimagining are certain to enjoy the playful, audience participation encouraged take on one of Shakespeare’s classic plays.
Be prepared for a bit of creative cacophony and a touch of uncertainty during this adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. For each of the four performances (February 5, 6, 12, and 13), a selected member of the company attempts to perform the play after drinking several shots of whiskey. The cast member is joined by the sober members of the cast, who help them reconstruct the plot and action, and the audience is asked to offer up “helpful” suggestions, increasing the “spirited” and liberally reimagined performance.
The cast includes Patience Davis, Tiélere Cheatem, Chuck Winning, and Frankie Ferrari, with Sarajane Clark as stage manager, all experienced Shakespearean performers – although this show is anything but your typical Shakespeare. They will take the audience through a boisterous, often bawdy and suggestive, interpretation of the play under the direction of Aarya Locker, who also created the adaptation. When asked about the inspiration for “reclaiming” Shakespeare’s play, which is arguably problematic for modern audiences, Locker offers the following observations on the perks of being a shrew: they are allergic to nonsense, speak the fluent truth, ruin bad men’s days for sport, are unburdened by the need to be liked, consider anger an instrument not a flaw, are immune to Gaslighting, and may be called “difficult” by people who are boring. Fine qualities for a strong, independent woman in this reviewer’s opinion, and a compelling perspective to reapproach Shakespeare’s famously shrewish Kate. While the show and performers do their best to maintain iambic pentameter and the plot line, a bit of chaos is unavoidable, as are plentiful laughs. I attended the inaugural Boozy Bard production and did not stop laughing the entire time.
This boozy adaptation is for adults only, as the performance includes rough language, occasional vulgarity, unpredictable interactions, and rough magick that’s guaranteed to elicit plenty of laughs while giving Shakespeare a humorous – and often humorously relatable – interpretation. The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival does not encourage excessive drinking; the selected inebriated performer does not drive home on performance nights, and the Festival encourages all participants to drink responsibly and to designate a sober driver or use a ride service. General admission tickets to Boozy Bard’s Reclaiming the Shrew and more information are available via the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival ticketing page. If you’re looking for theatrical fun that’s something out of the ordinary, join the Festival at the Schlafly Tap Room and raise a glass to the Bard,
