The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts Department, the Office of Academic Affairs and the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center with aid from the BMCC Foundation present To Catch a Fox—a new hip-hop musical retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew— April 10 through April 14 in Theatre 2 at 199 Chambers Street. Admission to the play is free and it is open to the public. The show features a cast of 22 BMCC students.
Set in the 1970’s, just as rap music was exploding onto the scene in New York City’s the Bronx, the play takes audience members on a hilarious journey where they see the character Pat Mack or Fly-guy get tricked into believing he is a VIP and not a bum. Specifically, To Catch a Fox is the story of a strong woman getting wooed by a strong man, according to the production’s writer and director, BMCC Theatre Professor Charles Burks. He says the two characters learn to love rather than fight in order to become stronger together.
“In today’s society we have independent women who continually have to fight to be heard, gain equal pay or be believed when mistreated. It will be a better world when a strong independent woman is not seen in a bad light,” said the production’s writer and director, BMCC Theatre Professor Charles Burks.
He says the musical was inspired by a love of theatre, music, commedia dell’arte and the work of William Shakespeare. Story-telling with rap provides a musical vehicle that heightens the language of To Catch a Fox and allows for poetic flow.
BMCC student cast members include; Jeffrey Archelus, Jennifer Arjune, Khyah Baht-Asher, Jahquale Battle, Sadi Bimwala, Neila Rebekah Charles , Hyein Choi, Michelle Cuizon, Timmy Daniels, Maya Faye Gordon, Jamel Daniels, Moriah Glover, James Jones Jr., Nina Sarna Jones, Brittany Martin, Liam McGowan, Elizabeth Mora, Daniel Pena, Ciara Scott, Altagracia Soto, Allison Vargas, Megan Vega, Simone Zalusky.
The play’s design team includes: musical direction and arrangements by Steve Wallace; sound designs by Santos X. Collado; scenic design by Elizabeth Chaney; lighting design by Issac Winston; costumes by Vanessa Leuck and dramaturgy by Kathleen Potts.
For more information on show times, click here.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Story set in 1970’s Bronx, just as rap music emerged on scene
- Musical journey based on William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew
- Play written and directed by BMCC Professor Charles Anthony Burks
