My overall impression
What I love about Fringe is a show willing to take chances and find something new in the material. Fifty Shades of Shrew does both, demonstrating a deep knowledge of and comfort with Shakespearean language (I mean, admit it — how many shitty productions of Shakespeare plays have you seen in L.A.?).
But Broads Word are also comfortable enough to delve deeper, revealing power struggles and even, dare I say it, happiness in the fluctuations of a relationship’s balance of power. The BDSM angle could have gotten campy and annoying in about five minutes, but the performers’ mastery of the words makes this a must see before it closes. The costumes are amazing, and you don’t even care that the set is suggested at best. All exist to heighten the language and deeper message that, for some, consciously engaging in power dynamics is pretty damned hot indeed.
