SEXUALITY issues, anyone? If so, you’d better steer clear of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where – in the Pro peller company’s produc tions of “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Twelfth Night” – a strapping Dugald Bruce-Lockhart plays both the macho braggart Petruchio and the delicate, lovestruck Olivia.
Whether wearing a leopard-skin jockstrap or a satin frock, he manages to be utterly seductive.
Indeed, “seductive” best describes these all-male versions directed by Edward Hall (son of Sir Peter) with the energy, exuberance and imagination that marks many of this British troupe’s productions.
Here, the immediacy of both works is symbolized by the whipping off of the sheets that cover the scenery. Although “Night” is ultimately superior to the “Shrew,” both are worth seeing, especially in tandem.
Those bothered by the brutal sexual politics of “Shrew” will find this version easy to enjoy. That’s because this Kate, as played by a hairy-chested Simon Scardifield, looks as if she’s more than a match for her violent suitor.
Played as a dream of the drunken tinker Christopher Sly (Bruce-Lockhart), the production falters somewhat toward the end, when it strives for a darkness not really supported by the text. Mostly, though, it’s wildly fast-paced fun.
This “Twelfth Night” is also performed in dreamlike fashion, with all its cast members hovering in the background, frequently providing sound and music effects.
Tam Williams, a man playing a woman pretending to be a man, brings a complex androgyny to his Viola that makes the performances delivered by most actresses in the part seem simplistic.
The production beautifully captures the play’s complex shifts in tone, whether it’s the cruel comedy of the humiliation of Malvolio (Bob Barrett) or the tender sweetness of the disguised Viola’s longing for Duke Orsino (Jack Tarlton). And clever directorial touches abound, such as the hilarious staging of the fight between Cesario and Agucheek (Scardifield) as a boxing match, complete with a big-voiced ring announcer.
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW and TWELFTH NIGHT
BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn; (718) 636-4100. Through April 1.