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Actress Walks Like A Man In Modern 'Shrew' At USF

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By SARAH HOYE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2008

TAMPA - When Dahlia Legault heard about tryouts for "The Taming of the Shrew" at the University of South Florida, she wanted a leading role.

But instead of lining up with the women-in-waiting for the female lead, she took a different route and auditioned for the male lead.

"Something like 28 people tried out for Katherine, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to win it," says Legault, 25, a junior in the USF theater program. She won the role of Petruchio, the male lead, in one of William Shakespeare's most enduring comedies.

"I was stunned," says Legault. "I was scared, ecstatic and just blown away."

The story is about a wealthy merchant, Baptista, who has two daughters, Katherine and Bianca, who he is trying to marry off. But because of Katherine's shrewish behavior, finding a suitor is difficult.

Her father then declares that no one shall marry Bianca until Katherine marries. Enter Petruchio, a young buck who's ready to settle down for the right price - no matter how difficult the lady.

Despite the use of old English, the play is set in the 1950s in a swampy no-name city somewhere in the South. Nearly 45 minutes of dialogue has been cut from the script (runtime is two hours, 15 minutes), and secret story twists have been added.

"It's a tricky play because it demands us to care about a man who beats his wife into submission," says director Tim Luscombe, who arrived in Tampa from London in January as part of the British International Theatre Program. "I think it's a raucous comedy with a dark heart and beautiful writing."

"Shrew" is produced in conjunction with the program, which was created 17 years ago (legendary producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh is one of the founders) to bring professional artists from England to Tampa to work with students at USF.

The play contains adult and controversial themes that will leave the audience thinking, Legault says. And they might laugh, too.

"Oh, he tames the shrew; it even gets out of control at some points, but no one has seen Shakespeare like this," she says. "People can find love in the most insane circumstances, and at the same the same time those circumstances can be deceiving."

Playing a male role was also deceiving. Intrigued by a recent season at Shakespeare's Globe in London during which women played every role (they were forbidden onstage at the old Globe), Legault was immediately committed to playing the role of a man. She offered to cut her hair, worked with a voice coach, practiced mannerisms from sitting to walking. Still, she quickly learned the difficult task of walking in men's shoes.

"I just took it rehearsal by rehearsal. This was totally different, I'm not a man, I don't know what to do," she says. "I will do whatever you tell me to do. ... At first it was odd and weird, but as an actor, it's about adapting yourself."

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 3 p.m. March 2

WHERE: Theater 1, USF Tampa campus; (813) 974-2323

HOW MUCH: $12; $6 students

Reporter Sarah Hoye can be reached at (813) 259-7832 or shoye@tampatrib.com.

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