The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society wound up a successful run of “Taming of the Shrew,” in casa rather than Galt Gardens as planned due to unpredictable weather, Friday, Aug. 18.

They have had to relocate shows several times this season due to weather and smoke. I haven’t been able to catch any other performances other than opening night and closing night.

The idea of  doers and  fathers having so much power of  their daughter’s marriage was pretty much an antiquated notion even in the ’60s, when they set this production, so director Jesse Thibert emphasized bringing out the humour of the misunderstandings, costumes, anachronisms and language.

As always, the cast did a great job, abounding with energy and really letting the jokes fly. 

  The talented cast have really gelled  over the run, and it all came together to make a play basically about how to gaslight a woman into a slightly campy and entertainingly absurd show set in more intimate venue of the casa community room.

There was a lot of crowd participation including director Jesse Thibert getting the audience to boo Petruccio (Ben McCluskey)  in his attempts to tame and woo the “shrew” Kate  (Maddie McKee) by calling him a “garbage person” from the back of the room.

 Sound effects like lion roars added to the show’s absurdity.

 Trevor Loman stole the show, fighting with an array of fake moustaches as Hortensio who vainly attempts to woo Kate’s kinder sister Bianca ( Mataya Britton), paying Petruccio to woo Kate, which is the condition their father Father Baptista ( Ginny Little -Bergsma) sets before letting anybody court Kate.

 A couple of  cast members are double cast. Jess Nguen plays a minor role as Petruccio’s out-upon tailor but she shines as Vincentio,  Lucentio’s real father who comes to “Nanaimo” into the middle  a scene fraught with chaos, misunderstandings and odd doings and tries to sort out the confusion out.

 Kaylee Johnson shines as  not only a merchant asked to pose as Lucentio’s real father to back up  Lucentio’s claims he can provide a better dowery than fellow suitor Gremio played by the always wonderful Jeff Graham.

Emily Laidlaw, who played the more serious role of Hamlet’s mother in last summer’s production lets loose her comedic side in Taming of the Shrew as  Lucentio’s ukulele strumming servant  Biondello.

 Taming of the Shrew ends with a disturbing speech about how a woman is expected to  treat, and serve  nay worship her husband, which could be seen as problematic in today’s world, but McKee did an outstanding job making the audience think about the issue by delivering the speech dripping in sarcasm, which is the only way it works today.

— by Richard Amery, L.A. beat editor

New West Theatre is always up for  giving audiences  a much needed shot of optimism. This summer’s  music revue show Wonderstruck, running Aug. 9-26 in the Yates Theatre is designed to do that through the music of the ’70s and ’80s.

“We didn't originally decide to focus on an era, but we wanted to have a theme of dreaming and imagination. And music from the ’70s and ’80s just fit. There’s less focus on ’50s and ’60s music,” said artistic Director Kelly Reay, who  is excited to work with familiar faces musical director Kelly Zaborsky, Erica Hunt, Scott Carpenter and Kyle Gruninger plus relative newcomers like Alinafe Lupiway and Katie Fellger and newcomers MadisanCowan and  Ethan  Bintu-Watt, who are excited to spread their creative wings  for  Wonderstruck. Not to mention the talented band, drummer Keenan Pezderic, Guitarist Scott Mezei and bassist  Greg Paskuski.

“The past few years have been a little rocky, so we’re just excited to be able to dream again and be optimistic about the future,” Reay enthused, adding the set is designed to look like a starry night sky, to reinforce the optimistic feel.

He noted it is exciting to be getting back to normal after the pandemic.

“People were apprehensive abut getting together in large groups,” he observed, adding it has been a few years since the  had two music comedy revues in the summer.

“We’ve juggled the schedule a little bit. There will be another music comedy revue in February this year, “ The Legends of Rock and Country”

For now New West is focusing on Wonderstruck, which followed the tried and true formula of mixing comedy, dance and music.

“It‘s a mix of music, comedy and dance. It‘s a formula that works, but we don’t want to do the same thing every year,” he said, noting most of the show is completely new, so though the title “Wonderstruck”  may lead to memories of the TV show “ the Wonder Years,” there will be no “With A Little Help From my Friends.”

“We did that a couple years ago,” he continued.

Reay is excited to work with the cast, especially newer faces Madisan Cowan and Ethan Bintu-Watt, who get to take a more prominent role in this show.

“They were a really pleasant discoveries. They  are really capable, so they get to take somel features roles, so we’re excited about that,” he continued.

Exhibition Park CEO Mike Warkentin is helping to pin down some new fans of Whoop up Days by adding Pure Power Wrestling to the card for this year’s free family festival.  He hopes wrestling fans will flip over having  wrestling on the grounds  for Whoop Up Days this year.

“We couldn’t be more proud  to welcome Pure Power Wrestling,” said Exhibition park CEO Mike Warkentin.

“ Wrestling  has been a tradition since Stampede Wrestling,” Warkentin continued, adding Whoop Up Days welcomed wrestling years ago, though he couldn’t remember exactly when.

“That was before my time,” he said.

 Pure Power Wrestling will bring Hot Summer Night to the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre on Friday, Aug. 25 for a one night only,  ticketed performance beginning at 7 p.m.,  that Friday night.

“ We were looking for ways to diversify our entertainment program,” he continued adding The First Nations Warrior competition is also on Friday night.

“ We‘re hoping to get attract a new crowd to Whoop up Days,” he said.

In an evening that won’t be forgotten, the card will be headlined by a PPW Heavyweight Title defense as reigning champion “Cougar Meat” Kyle Sebastian defends his title against his friend and mentor “Mr. Beefy Goodness” Vance Nevada, who is winding down his 30-year career this year. It’s a clash of generations in Southern Alberta’s home for professional wrestling.