Between the Pages

I love the theatre, but unfortunately do not get to go as often as I would like.  Ah, well the way I choose to look at it is that if I can’t go very often, then when I do go, it’s a real treat.

This performance of The Taming of the Shrew, which I saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 18th February 2012, was indeed a real treat!

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s earlier plays, and is a comedy, often criticised for its mysogynistic theme.  In the story, Bianca, a young lady who lives in Verona, has a number of suitors chasing her, but her father has said that she cannot get married until her older sister Katherina, ges married.  The only trouble is that Katherina hates men – and most of them hate her too!  When swaggering, arrogant Petruchio comes along however, he determines to make Katherina (or Kate as he calls her) his bride, and to tame her.  It won’t be an easy task – in this production, Kate drinks, vomits, is violent towards men, and even pees on the stage.  She balances these aspects of her character however, with flashes of vulnerability and tenderness, and I was actually stunned by Lisa Dillon’s performance.  No less brilliant was David Caves as Petruchio, who stalks around the stage as if he owns it, and has magnificent stage presence.  The supporting cast were all excellent as well, with a special mention for Nick Holder, as Christopher Sly, the drunken tinker whose story frames the whole play (and whose part is often cut from other productions).  Holder was hilarious and made an unessential part of the play, a vital element of this production.

There is a subplot which features the various young men who hope to marry Bianca, and which incorpoates a very funny case of mistaken identity.  This is played for charm and laughs, and it absolutely works.

The staging was very imaginiative – the whole stage was a huge bed, which was incorporated into certain parts of the story, and the various opening doors/windows at the back of the stage were also used to great effect.  The production was done in modern clothes, which I think actually enhanced my enjoyment of the show.  Despite it’s outdated themes, there was an air of modernity to the whole production.

It would be impossible to completely ignore the cruel and unusual ways in which Petruchio ‘tames his shrew’.  For example, he refuses to allow her to eat, and causes her to agree with him when he says that day is night.  These parts might make one squirm.  But the sting is taken out of the tail (tale?) by emphasising the aspect of two people coming together and finding love despite their differences (and indeed their similarities).

This production made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions; it was clear that the whole audience enjoyed it immensely.  With strong leads, and a uniformly excellent cast, people with misgivings about the theme of the play, can go to see this show without fear.  The ending – where Kate shows how she has been tamed – is handled delicately and wonderfully.  In short – this show was a joy from start to finish.

(For more information about this production, or about the Royal Shakespeare Company, please click here.)

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Click here for my review of the 1967 film adaptation.

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