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A NICE TRADITION: ENJOY 'SHREW'
On a fair summer's eve, enjoy the Bard's 'play within a play' on the battle of the sexes--just as the Father of Our Country did here in 1771
Date published: 6/12/2008
By CLINT SCHEMMER In Colonial days, the show came to you: Actors performed on a circuit that took them from Hobbs Hole (later renamed Tappahannock) to Fredericksburg to Dumfries. When a big double bill--"The Taming of the Shrew" and "The Suspicious Husband"--came to Fredericksburg in June of 1771, among the notables enjoying the theatrical entertainments was a fellow named George Washington. Not the sort of guy one usually pictures enjoying a good belly laugh, but he did. So says Alma Withers, director of programs at George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation: "People don't know that George Washington loved music and loved plays. There was a time in his life when he would go to a performance every night of the week." So, in Washington's honor, the foundation will host its seventh annual Shakespeare On the Lawn production at Historic Kenmore, beginning this weekend. William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" is on the playbill, just a few days past the 237th anniversary of the date when Washington and his brother-in-law, Fielding Lewis, took in the same show here. Washington and Lewis, it appears, saw the productions at a makeshift play-booth or theater in town; the location is uncertain. Today, theatergoers can enjoy a rollicking, condensed version of the "Shrew" (which inspired Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate") on the grounds of Col. Lewis' fine mansion, completed in 1775. Bring a blanket or a chair, enjoy a fine June evening, smell the magnolia blossoms, and enjoy some good theater. To add to the fun, at 6 p.m. on June 14 and 21, there will be special tours inside Kenmore. First person-interpreters from George Washington's Friends and Young Friends will portray the Lewis family and friends as they prepare for the 1771 performance of the "Shrew." The production will be directed by theater veteran Fred Franklin, and performed by The Fredericksburg Players. Franklin trained many of these college and professional actors when he taught drama in Stafford County schools. Franklin's protege, drama instructor Tom Clark of Mountain View High School, has written a fascinating history of Colonial theater in Virginia. historypoint.org/education/teaching/colonial_theater
Date published: 6/12/2008
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