Director Andrei Serban brings his "punching" Roman comedy take on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew to New York's La MaMa E.T.C, Oct. 27-Nov. 8. The production, presented earlier this year at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, is a high-tech take on Shakespeare's battle of the sexes classic in which Kate and Petruchio spar in a boxing ring -- literally -- while video cameras roll.
Designing Shrew are Leslie Scott (costumes), Howard Theis (lighting), Tim Schellenbaum (sound) and Jun Maeda (set).
Romanian-born Serban was brought to America in 1969, by La MaMa artistic director Ellen Stewart to direct two classical plays -- Ubu Pere and Arden of Faversham -- for her resident company. Serban quickly gained a reputation for ritualistic theatre with his productions of the OBIE winning Fragments of a Greek Trilogy (with Swados) and The Good Woman of Setzuan in the mid '70s.
Serban has also gained a reputation for reinterpreting the classics like Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard at The Public, The Trojan Women with Liz Swados and The King Stag with puppets by Julie Taymor. It's a year of the Bard for Serban; having directed Cymbeline for The New York Shakespeare Festival this summer, he'll be tackling Merchant of Venice in December at ART.
For tickets ($15) or more information call (212) 475 -710.
-- By Sean McGrath