The Taming of the Shrew (1976)

The Finest Ever Filmed

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 7, 2002 | 3 out of 3 found this The Taming of the Shrew (1976) review helpful

Director William Ball emptied his bucket of genius into this wonderful American Conservatory Theatre production of "The Taming of the Shrew." Making marvelous use of commedia dell arte staging,and remaining fearless in its ample use of comedy, the "...Shrew" turns even those who don't care for Shakespeare (What fools these mortals be.) into convulsive laughter. Marc Singer is outstanding in his exhautingly athletic portrayal of Petruccio. The taming scene is worth the price of admission all by itself. He is admirably matched by the rapier tongue of Fredi Olster as Kate. Shakespeare's verbal jousting has never been better, being rivaled only by Benedick and Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing." The supporting players are able as well. If the production has a flaw, and I don't think it does, it might be the use of white as a costume and set theme, with the odd color here and there for emphasis. Ball's color blindness made this element almost a trademark in other taped ACT productions (i.e., Cyrano de Bergerac). But, I have to say, it certainly works here. When this was first broadcast on PBS' Great Performances in 1976, I had to say that it was the finest thing I had ever seen on television. I would be hard pressed to argue that point even today, Lonesome Dove and The Missiles of October notwithstanding. This is a performance that you will enjoy again and again. Read more Less