The Taming of the Shrew: RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, till 25th September 08

Stratford-upon-Avon.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
by William Shakespeare.

Royal Shakespeare Company at The Courtyard Theatre In rep to 25 September 2009. Runs: 3hr 20min.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat various

TICKETS: 0844 800 1110.
www.rsc.org.uk
Review: Jan Pick 1 May.

A Cold Night in Padua.
Always problematic, this Taming of the Shrew pulls no punches. It is a production intent on mining all that is nasty about the play, a deeply cynical reading that gives no chance for any glimmerings of warmth or compassion to break through. From start to finish it is relentless in its exposure of all that can be found in the text to be unpleasant and brutish.

While this is a justifiable reading, it is reductive, imposing limitations on Shakespeare, who is never quite as straightforward as this production suggests. The straight-jacket imposed on the actors here leaves nowhere for Stephen Boxer, a good actor, to move, nor his Katherina, Michelle Gomez, forcing a two-dimensional interpretation of the roles. Boxer is also landed with the usual tired RSC cliché of the adoption of a ‘Brummie’ accent to demonstrate the stupidity of the uncultured Sly.

The Induction scene is moved to a modern sleazy back street downtown, where pimps and prostitutes prowl. The female Lord, performed with great relish by Amanda Hadingue, is a whip-flicking dominatrix figure with an entourage of subservient men, suggesting that in our age women can be as powerful and unpleasantly manipulative as men could be in the past.

As Boxer’s crude Sly is subsumed into the players’ tale, and arrives to "wive it wealthily in Padua" there is no warmth. His Petruchio is a brutish, unfeeling manipulator, signalled by his cruelty to his wretched manservant - a nice performance from Will Beck. Boxer gives a chilling portrayal of a psychotic brute with no possibility of any redemptive discoveries. He completely breaks his Kate - a good performance from Gomez, but again constricted by the reading imposed on this production, and watching her being ground into total degradation is a depressing experience.

This is a Shrew about sexual desire, subjugation and manipulation. Even the Lucentio and Bianca relationship is focused on lust, and every opportunity for demonstrating sexual physicality is taken. There are nice touches; the players tumbling out of the back of a big lorry and posturing about the stage being ‘actorly’, the transformation of the stage into Padua, among them, but there was also rather too much of the ‘send up’ element which became a little wearing after a time.

Directed and performed at great pace, it makes for an interesting, but uncomfortable evening.

Christopher Sly/Petruchio: Stephen Boxer.
Lady/Widow: Amanda Hadingue.
Bouncer/Tailor: John Paul Connolly.
Marion Hackett/Kate: Michelle Gomez.
Cicely Hackett/Bianca: Amara Karan.
1st Huntsman/Philip: Arsher Ali.
2nd Huntsman/Nathaniel: Adrian Decosta.
Huntsman/3rd Servant/Haberdasher: Simon Darwen.
Lady’s P.A/4th Servant/Nicholas: Jade Anouka.
Bartholomew/Joseph: Will Sharpe.
Player/Gremio: Peter Shorey.
Player/Curtis: James Carnon.
Baptista Minola: David Hargreaves.
Grumio: William Beck.
Hortensio: Sean Kearns.
Lucentio: Patrick Moy.
Tranio: Keir Charles.
Biondello: Jack Laskey.
A Merchant: Larrington Walker.
Vincentio: Leonard Fenton.

All other parts played by members of the company.

Director: Conall Morrison.
Set Designer: Francis O'Connor.
Lighting: Paul Keogan.
Sound: Mike Compton.
Music: Conor Lineham.
Music Director: Bruce O’Neil.
Movement: Joyce Henderson.
Costume: Joan O'Clery.
Company text and voice work: Charmian Hoare.
Fight director: Malcolm Ranson.
Assistant irector: Beckie Mills.

2008-05-05 12:37:51