Taming of the Shrew

Part of Shakespeare's endearing quality is his eternal relevance no matter what time/dimension you happen to be reading him in. Histories, tragedies, or comedies they all have something profound to say about the human condition, telling us that despite microchips, nanotechnology, and the Internet, we are ostensibly the same critters that crawled out of the primordial ooze and became distressingly susceptible to the wiles of rat fleas. And then there's Taming of the Shrew.

For that reason, I suppose, it is intriguing to see any production of this most un-PC of plays to see how much the director is going to skirt, dodge, or plough into the central subject of this play - wedding and bedding (not necessarily in that order) a disobedient woman. Claire Hooper's take on this sorry tale is the most innovative and entertaining I've seen.

It's always a worry when directors stipulate a time and place for their Shakespeare updates as it can be very difficult to consistently and justifiably carry through the show (where, I think, the Northbridge R&J failed). Setting it in a 1930s circus, however, was inspired. It provided a) a time frame where the 'taming' of the 'shrew' was acceptable and believable and b) a visually engrossing context.

I will get the inevitable comparison out of the way first: I think this was a generally better production than R&J, thanks to a design-savvy director with a wealthy girls' school wardrobe at her disposal, and a higher calibre of cast. But then, judging by the sizes of our audiences, I don't think enough people saw R&J to warrant this comparison so this last comment may have meant nothing to most of you ;-)

To the cast: it was overall a very physically energetic and committed performance, but unfortunately to the detriment of vocal production. Trust me, I KNOW it is a hard venue to fill vocally but, in the comedies especially, the text is central to Shakespeare and it's a damn shame to miss it. In some cases volume was lacking, but even when it wasn't, emphasis on the consonants was a bit lazy. Some performers were also using accents which only obscured the text further. A vocal warm up prior to the show is strongly recommended, with work on slowing down the delivery a lot, upping the volume, and spitting out the consonants.

Christine (Christina? - sorry, lost my programme) as Katherine and Meg 'Mrs Toby' Logue as Bianca were a beautifully juxtaposed pair of siblings. Kate was tall and sour, and Bianca tiny and (nauseatingly) cute, which fit in well with the crazy surroundings of the show. Kate's fury upon watching her annoying sister hit-spring-exit-stage-left under the simpering gaze of their father, was almost audible. I felt that the-actress-currently-known-as-Katherine could have had a clearer character devleopment, though. We never really saw her as much of a 'shrew', our conclusions based only upon accounts from other characters. Perhaps it was due to the extensive script cuts? Perhaps this was intentional...? I don't feel it quite succeded if this was the point.

Petruchio was played by Gibson Nolte in a teriffic performance. A character who is traditionally played as a large, arrogant, bearded man, was virtually sent up by Gib, with his weasally, slimy interpretation. Even his facial hair was seedy. What is the toothpick budget on the show, anyway?

The famous Kate-meets-Petruchio scene was the only point in the show where I felt the energy drop, however. I've usually seen this performed as the most energetic scene in the show with the actors virtually throwing the scenery at each other. Again, perhaps this was Claire's intent, to contrast it to the energy of the rest of the show, and to depart from the traditional delivery. I would have liked to have seen something in the vein of the (brilliant) first Katherine-Bianca scene, however. Circling each other and shooting un-funny 16th century gags at each other didn't cut it for me. (BTW This was where volume let the performers down - Kate delivered some of her lines with her back to the audience, and they were all completely lost).

Other notable mentions include Toby 'Mr Meg' Malone as Lucentio - does he ever get tired of playing Shakespearian love-interests? At least he's got the love at first sight look down to a fine art - and yes, it was very cute seeing him and Meg on stage together :-) Mike Djukic as Hortensio was great, but the Welsh (Newcastle?) accent, though consistent, completely obliterated some of the text. Perhaps slowing down might help...? Ben Ruse as Tranio made interesting work of the character, however I felt the English accent detracted from this. He should either keep the characterisation and use his own (very pleasant) speaking voice, or keep the accent and up the absurdity of the character. In the very small parts, the wacky clown in the ugly orange flares was a riot. I think she had a total of three lines, but her delivery was always spot on. Ash McLeod made top work of Grumio, proving the old adage of small parts and small players. (But again, slow down. We lost a lot of words.)

And finally (phew!) it was wonderful to be present at Alec Guinness's triumphant return to the stage. I was under the distinct impression that he had died, but he's back, better than ever, and looking uncannily like Dave Ryding.

Amanda Chesterton

PS Those singing girls that kept coming on - don't run too fast. The possibility of fall-out in those costumes is ever-present...

PPS Go and see the show if you want to see how the whole 'taming' thing was dealt with. As a hint, the line 'Such duty as the subject owes the prince/Even such a woman oweth to her husband' was shrewdly cut from Kate's final speech (no pun intended).

PPS Free show - Sunday - 8pm