Arts & Entertainment
The wild west
Shakespeare production works well in Folger variation
‘The Taming of the Shrew’
Through June 10
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol Street, SE
$39-$65 (discounts available)
202-608-1719
From left, Danny Scheie, Cody Nickell and Kate Eastwood Norris in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Folger Theatre. (Photo by Jeff Malet courtesy Folger)
It was while watching the HBO series “Deadwood,” writes/director Aaron Posner in the program notes for Folger Theatre’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” that he first became inspired to set his production in the American West, circa 1890. While Posner admits it’s not a totally original take on the Bard’s battle of the sexes — it’s been done before — the move from Padua to the Old West works: the raucous, defiant aspects of Shakespeare’s early comedy translate quite nicely.
Because Posner has dropped the play’s official Induction, a cute framing device that establishes “Shrew” as a play within in a play, his fast-paced and funny production jumps quickly into the unconventional courtship of fortune-hunting gambler Petruchio and Katherine, the ornery shrew (played by real life husband and wife Cody Nickell and Kate Eastwood Norris). At first, Katherine wants no part of love and marriage, but through an assortment of carefully executed psychological and physical tortures Petruchio remarkably alters her into the most obliging of wives.
Norris’ Katherine is a sort of hard-drinking, pistol-packing Calamity Jane for whom a future of happy domesticity seems impossible or a real longshot at best; but, again, Petruchio’s abuse works wonders in tempering Katherine’s obstinate disposition. Yes, it’s all very sexist stuff, but Norris is a smart actor with a deft touch, and her transformation from shrew to obedient wifey is nuanced — it’s more about discovering love and finding a new way to live.
Similarly, Nickell’s charming Petruchio is clearly smitten with his Kate, and it’s a love that proves sincere. When he outfits his bride in elegant new duds, Petruchio strives to please by giving her pants and a beautiful pair of black boots complete with spurs. And after proving his wife’s changed nature in a high stakes bet, he hands the winnings over to Katherine. The pair is a team, and it bodes well for a happy and equal marriage.
The comedy’s secondary romantic subplot involves a complicated competition between the suitors of Katherine’s younger more desirable sister, Bianca (Sarah Mollo-Christensen). Her eager wannabe husbands are played by Marcus Kyd, Craig Wallace and Thomas Keegan. Katy Carkuff is a standout as a boozy, well-off widow. James Gardiner and gay actor Danny Sheie play the comic servants.
In a nod to the changing roles of frontier women, Posner has made some intriguing gender-bending choices. The part of Katherine and Bianca’s father Baptista has been changed to a same-named, marriage-brokering mother played by Sarah Marshall, who’s gay. Her Baptista is comically reminiscent of the silver screen types played by Jo Van Fleet and Mercedes McCambridge: Prosperous, independent, tightly wound and willing to level a shotgun when necessary.
The traditionally male Tranio, a clever servant who goes undercover for his master, is also female for this production. As Tranio, Holly Twyford (also gay), swaps out a dull long dress and petticoat for a dapper copper suit and jauntily worn boater. Tranio’s put on squared-off shoulders and masculine walk are belied by touching instances when Twyford reveals the vulnerable young woman beneath the phony moustache, and these are lovely moments indeed.
Tony Cisek’s set is a two-tiered saloon made from roughly hewn wood. Through its swinging doors lie endless plains and big sky. Helen Q. Huang heightens the effect of her beautiful period costumes with subtle flourishes of fancy, freeing them from being too overly moored to time and place.
Additionally, singer/songwriter Cliff Eberhardt in the role of “The Blind Balladeer” performs his bluesy, witty, heartfelt tunes intermittently throughout the play. It’s a wonderful touch that entertainingly trains the spotlight on the characters’ intentions and passions.
At the top of the show, we’re told the evening will end “after [the players] dance.” It’s a promise kept. Posner closes the play with an old fashioned rousing line dance, sending the audience off with a big shot of the Wild West, fun and romance.
WorldPride 2025 concluded with the WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert held along Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. on Sunday, June 8. Performers on the main stage included Doechii, Khalid, Courtney Act, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, Suzie Toot, MkX and Brooke Eden.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The 2025 WorldPride Parade was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 7. Laverne Cox and Renée Rapp were the grand marshals.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Robert Rapanut)
Theater
A hilarious ‘Twelfth Night’ at Folger full of ‘elegant kink’
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan stars as Duke Orsino
‘Twelfth Night’
Through June 22
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan (they/them)loves tapping into the multitudes within.
Currently Keegan plays the melancholic Duke Orsino in Folger Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Twelfth Night.” Director Mei Ann Teo describes the production as “sexy, hilarious, and devastating” and full of “elegant kink.”
Washington-based, Keegan enjoys a busy and celebrated career. Her vast biography includes Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Helen Hayes Award, Best Actress) and Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, both at Round House Theatre; Diana Son’s Stop Kiss directedby Holly Twyford for No Rules Theatre Company; and Contractions at Studio Theatre, to name just a few.
In addition to acting, Keegan works as a polyamory and ethical non-monogamy life and relationship coach, an area of interest that grew out of personal exploration. For them, coaching seems to work hand in hand with acting.
WASHINGTON BLADE: You’re playing the lovesick Orsino in Twelfth Night. How did that come about?
ALYSSA KEEGAN: The director was looking to cast a group of actors with diverse identities; throughout auditions, there were no constraints regarding anyone’s assigned sex at birth. It was really a free for all.
BLADE: What’s your approach to the fetching, cod-piece clad nobleman?
KEEGAN: Offstage I identify as completely nonbinary; I love riding in this neutral middle space. But I also love cosplay. The ability to do that in the play gives me permission to dive completely into maleness.
So, when I made that decision to play Orsino as a bio male, suddenly the part really cracked open for me. I began looking for clues about his thoughts and opinions about things like his past relationships and his decision not to date older women.
Underneath his mask of bravura and sexuality, and his firmness of feelings, he’s quite lonely and has never really felt loved. It makes sense to me why his love for Olivia is so misguided and why he might fall in love with the Cesario/Viola character.
BLADE: As an actor, do you ever risk taking on the feelings of your characters?
KEEGAN: Prior to my mental health education, yes, and that could be toxic for me. I’ve since learned that the nervous system can’t tell the difference between real emotional distress and a that of a fully embodied character.
So, I created and share the Empowered Performer Project. [a holistic approach to performance that emphasizes the mental and emotional well-being of performing artists]. It utilizes somatic tools that help enormously when stepping into a character.
BLADE: Has changing the way you work affected your performances?
KEEGAN: I think I’m much better now. I used to have nearly debilitating stage fright. I’d spend all day dreading going onstage. I thought that was just part of the job. Now, I’ve learned to talk to my body. Prior to a performance, I can now spend my offstage time calmly gardening, working with my mental health clients, or playing with my kid. I’m just present in my life in a different way.
BLADE: Is Orsino your first time playing a male role?
KEEGAN: No. In fact, the very first time I played a male role was at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va. I played Hipolito in Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy.
As Hipolito, I felt utterly male in the moment, so much so that I had audience members see me later after the show and they were surprised that I was female. They thought I was a young guy in the role. There’s something very powerful in that.
BLADE: Do you have a favorite part? Male or female?
KEEGAN: That’s tough but I think it’s Maggie the Cat. I played the hyper-female Maggie in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Round House. In the first act she didn’t stop talking for 51 minutes opposite Gregory Wooddell as Brick who barely had to speak. That lift was probably the heaviest I’ve ever been asked to do in acting.
BLADE: What about Folger’s Twelfth Night might be especially appealing to queer audiences?
KEEGAN: First and foremost is presentation. 99% of the cast identify as queer in some way.
The approach to Shakespeare’s text is one of the most bold and playful that I have ever seen. It’s unabashedly queer. The actors are here to celebrate and be loud and colorful and to advocate. It’s a powerful production, especially to do so close to the Capitol building, and that’s not lost on any of us.
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