In the era of AI slop and bot accounts, it’s easy to be nostalgic for the Internet of yore — somewhere around 2015, before courts were weighing the damage social media companies have done to youth and when influencers were still somewhat novel. That long-ago year is the setting for a phone-obse ssed “The Taming of the Shrew,” playing through July 25 at Highland Bowl; this production marks the 29th year Rochester Community Players has presented Shakespeare in the Park. The title hints at why this is a tough play to stage in a world where “feminism” as a concept exists. The titular shrew is a strong-willed woman, Katherine (Kayla Perconti), who doesn’t behave how men would like her to, unlike her more palatably feminine younger sister Bianca (Jaimee Schelkun). Several suitors long to marry Bianca, but because she is not allowed to get married until her older sister is settled down, the suitors plot to get gold-digging Petruchio (Michael Riches) to marry – and thus “tame,” by casually starving and gaslighting – Katherine. This production, directed by Jonathan Lowery, doesn’t quite win the uphill battle of making the plot relevant, but it sure is entertaining.    Katherine (Kayla Perconti) and Petruchio (Michael Riches). PHOTO BY RACHEL COUTANT. Setting Shakespeare’s most infamously problematic play on the cusp of the #MeToo movement is a thought-provoking choice. At times, the refusal of a woman’s agency feels uncomfortably familiar — for example, everyone believing Petruchio when he insists Katherine said in private that she wants to marry him, even though she clearly states she does not. (The song “Blurred Lines” plays as the newlyweds settle in with one another.) For the most part, though, setting the play in a world of selfies, Converse and Taylor Swift just highlights how removed Shakespeare’s world was from ours. The plot centers on the lack of agency two sisters have in deciding who, or if, they wed. It’s unclear how old the girls are supposed to be — they’re young enough for their mom to hire them tutors, but old enough to be forced into marriage? It can be hard to map 1600s European plot mechanics onto motivations in modern day America. Some of the more outrageous behavior in the reimagined play could perhaps be chalked up to characters behaving badly in hopes of going viral. Moments of tension escalate into physical squabbles and even a fully choreographed fight scene, staged by Lowery. Throughout the action, side characters hold up their phones, filming and posting. Katherine (Kayla Perconti) takes a selfie with the ensemble. PHOTO BY RACHEL COUTANT. The audience is asked to embrace their phones as well. The curtain speech invites audiences to follow the show’s Instagram account, which updates with cleverly staged photos posted by various characters. Some photos directly relate to the action onstage and some are playful side tangents, like a review of another Shakespeare play or an ad for Vincentio’s realtor business. (I’ll confess: I didn’t follow the Insta in real time. Partly because I’m a low-key Luddite who needed to access the posts through a friend’s account, but more so because I didn’t want to look away from the exceptionally engaging performances happening IRL, onstage.) Fans of the 1999 teen film adaptation “10 Things I Hate About You” may be pleased by the familiarity of a blonde curly Petruchio and fiercely nonconformist Katherine. Riches softens the edges of Petruchio’s abusive behavior, showing affection toward Katherine’s prickly aggression. Perconti is exceptional as Katherine, finding agency and spunk in the most questionable of lines. They play off each other well, feeling believably like equals by the end. Lucentio (Ben Gillooly) and Bianca (Jaimee Schelkun). PHOTO BY RACHEL COUTANT. Schelkun brings a unique proto-tradwife flair to Bianca, dressed in floral skirts and beach dresses evoking earlier time periods in contrast with Katherine’s Hot Topic-inspired wardrobe. (Fun costume choices courtesy of designer Zahava Alston.) Bianca has a host of goofy suitors: the comically effusive Ben Gillooly as Lucentio, the playful Geoffrey Hunt as Tranio, the affable Adam Urbanic as Hortensio, and the seasoned Tim Hart as Gremio. The talented cast is rounded out with Siobhan Fisher as Baptista, Liza deLooze as Grumio, Megan Steron as Biondello, Shirite Westreich as Zanni/Widow and Tyler Wolff as Zanni/Vincentio. The night rounds out with a catchy playlist of nostalgic millennial bops ranging from “Thrift Shop” and “Call Me Maybe.” The social media angle, though gimmicky, might be the best way to pull off this untamable play in 2026: if you’re tempted to look too hard for a message, get distracted by the Insta. “The Taming of the Shrew” plays through July 25 at Highland Bowl, more info and tickets here. Katherine Varga is a Rochester-based writer and arts educator. On an ideal day, you’ll find her biking to a library or theater. The post REVIEW | ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Highland Bowl appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less