A square of black curtain covered part of the blue cinderblock wall behind a temporary stage at the Black Cat. The drummer and bassist took their positions as the guitarist stepped up to the microphone to proclaim, "We're kind of a cover band. This is an oldie but goodie by William Shakespeare: 'Sonnet 17.'"
The musicians, who went on to perform a head-banging punk rendition of the classic poem, are members of the Taffety Punk Theatre Company's performance, "And Then It Faster Rock'd." The company's goal is to provide accessible, innovative, quality theatre, a goal they more than achieve in this funny, interesting revue. The show presented the Bard with a modern twist; actors wore contemporary costumes and the scenes they performed emphasized 21st century parallels.
The performance was set up as a series of vignettes adapted from Shakespeare's works. Although most of them were scenes or patched-together dialogue from his plays, the opening and closing acts were songs. Each act feature different actors and ran together in rapid succession. Their focus ranged from political commentary and pop-culture parody to haunting representation of mental illness.
"Queen Margaret" portrayed the Henry VI queen (Kate Eastwood Norris) as the Joker berating a defeated Batman. Norris' animation delighted the crowd as she pranced and cackled her way through the scene, at one point even slipping into a German accent and goose-stepping across stage. With flying arms and props handed to her from the drummer downstage, Norris accurately channeled the spirit of the Joker, eliciting much laughter from the audience.
"Kate Meets Petruchio" set the first encounter of the Taming of the Shrew characters, played by Teresa Castracane and Marcus Kyd, as a silent movie, complete with ragtime music and colorless costumes. The actors moved their mouths soundlessly and then short blackouts revealed the dialogue on an overhead projector. The physical humor Kyd and Castracane brought to the scene was perfect, including a Three Stooges-esque eye-poking attempt.
Scenes like "George W vs. Henry V" had a more political tone by continually substituting "Iraq" for "France" in a conversation about the implications of an invasion. Other scenes, like "Ophelia Distracted" and "Lady M" had more serious messages about insanity and gender expectations. "Bertram Meets Diana" was reminiscent of a college party with beer cups, drunken speech and techno music pumping in the background.
The set was minimalist: an empty stage with the occasional addition of a metal chair dragged on by an actor at the start of a scene. The costumes, similarly, looked as though the cast had scavenged them from their collective wardrobes. The effect is consistent, however, and adds to the production's counter-establishment vibe.
All in all, this production was a delight. The format of the scenes kept the audience involved. The actors were skilled; members of the company have trained and performed at theaters all over the country. The adaptation of Shakespeare into modern contexts was intriguing while remaining true to the original works. Taffety Punk's "And Then It Faster Rock'd" would not appeal to everyone, but those willing to take a chance were well rewarded. Make sure to watch the schedule at the Black Cat for future performances.
