The Taming of the Shrew (Opening Night)


Taming of the Shrew Cast (57.1 KB)


Original practices production, all-female cast; 6.30 pm


Almost as long as "Edward II", with only one interval -- the play that, upon reading it, put me off of Shakespeare for more than a year. I had seen the women's company in "Richard III" and been awed by their talent, so I knew they'd be great. What I didn't dare hope was that they'd manage to take the sting out of the play.

I must confess, I'm still in shock. To see women playing men is definitely something different, but it worked, too well almost. There was an additional sense of heaviness and dread to certain scenes, mainly because of the gender inequalities so clearly visible in the play.

Kathryn Hunter is a star. I wouldn't have thought her to be so fragile and small, she exuded such strength and dominance as Richard III; now she was a woman and it was at times heart-rending to watch the way she was treated (call it female bonding, but I always thought better of Kate than Petruchio for all that she's quite a bitchy sort of character). What made it all the more intense was Janet McTeer's Petruchio. She is tall and looms over Ms Hunter and she is commanding and imposing on top of that. More male than a man could be, I might say. Her gait and her hollering, her mannerisms, all were perfectly adapted and she man-handled Kate quite a bit. But there was one thing I loved -- when Kate starts sobbing after having the dress and cap torn from her, Petruchio's face was troubled, he seemed less sure of what he was doing and that was so good to see, it made him more human.

The most daunting scene to me was the last one, where Kate takes up the stand for male dominance. This has always been the main reason I disliked the play (close second being Petruchio's abusive treatment of his wife). Now, seeing all the men at the table actually being women and acting like men, chorusing and cheering each other on, clapping each other's backs, that was eerie and disturbing, but also funny.

Kate came meekly enough when Petruchio called her and then, having collected her sister and the widow, she launched into *that* speech. And as she rallied on, even stepping on the table, Petruchio's dominant sneer faltered and he seemed to think "Oh dear, I've created a monster". Ms McTeer put her face in her hands, looking beat, while Ms Hunter kept talking (and even pulling up her skirt to show off her legs, which her husband was *not* pleased with ;D). At the start, for the first part of the speech, she had been very meek and proper, but the longer she was at it, the more fire there was, the more movement. One other fabulous detail which only really worked because it were women I think, was that the males at the table, on hearing the start of Kate's pep talk were actually smitten, starting to cry, Baptista and Petruchio embracing with tears in their eyes for sheer male pride and arrogance.

When Kate had finished, telling her sister and the widow to put their hands on the earth so their husbands could walk on them, she whispered something to them. After Kate had cavorted off (to be followed by a very weary and slightly insecure looking Petruchio a moment later) we saw the widow and Bianca on their knees, giggling like madwomen, as if they were privy to a joke we hadn't heard yet, just as the men said that Kate had expressed just what a woman should think. Then, Petruchio and Kate appeared on the upper balcony, arguing, in perfect Italian style, as you would see in the classic movies with Marcello Mastroiani (spelling?) and Sofia Loren. It was priceless. The following jig was fantastic, Ms Hunter was hopping about, grinning, elated and the cast was called out three times (two are the tradition as far as I've observed), and there were cheers all round.

It was quite interesting to see that a lot of the men in the audience booed when Anne Ogbomo did the prologue and talked about how good it was for women to be taking over the stage from their acting brothers. Talk about the remnants of male chauvinism.

I loved the music too, the bagpipe player who had entertained us in the "Richard III" interval was among the musicians and she was playing the bagpipes in one of the pieces. The costumes were extraordinary as well, Kate in yellow silk, Bianca in green, and the male garments beautifully done too.

Anna Healy as Baptista was astounding, she wore a beard and had that stateliness associated with an elder gentleman, after the first time she came on, I didn't think of her as a woman anymore. Same goes for Penelope Beaumont's Vincentio, who had a short role, but definitely made the most of it. I was immensely impressed with Liza Hayden, the woman is so small and slight, but she's just fantastic. She played Biondello with relish, funny, cunning and adorable.

Liz Kettle did a marvellous job as the pedant, she also appeared briefly as a courtesan Petruchio was spending his time with. Gremio (Penelope Dimond) was hilarious. The masculine pompousness was astounding and so well brought-out -- I didn't once think of her as woman. Linda Bassett as Grumio was just fabulous. I've seen her as a stately, very impressive and emotionally touching Queen Margaret in "Richard III", but as Grumio she was so different and so altogether awesome! Wow. The versatility of these actresses is so amazing!

I loved how half the cast came in a wagon to convey Petruchio to his wedding, going through the groundlings to the stage, and then, after Petruchio had nudged Kate off the stage to be caught by some of his train, they carried her out, followed by a madly shouting Petruchio.

Another very distinct scene was the one in Petruchio's house. Kate is dirty, tired, and obviously distressed. She tries to warm herself by the fire, she is shaking, and her teeth are clattering. Literally. This was one of the moments where Ms Hunter was the strongest. She didn't speak, but she *was* and you felt so sorry for her. Rachel Sanders (the Widow) played Petruchio's dog in that scene; I don't remember if he was in the play, but I thought it was superb. Kate did seem terrified of the beast, the audience got a hearty laugh. Ms Hunter is fantastic when it comes to physical comedy, she uses her body language to utmost effect, which is always a thrilling experience.

I also thought the "courting" scene between her and Petruchio was very well staged - the physical aspect of Ms McTeer pulling Ms Hunter onto her knees and holding her, enveloped in her arms was all the more poignant for the difference in their heights and built.

I loved Yolanda Vazquez' Hortensio - she pulled the role off with so much gusto and poise it was a treat to watch, very Italian ;D. I also loved Bianca (Laura Rogers), she seemed like a bit of a spoilt brat from the start, which made her later "shrewishness" more convincing, also her flirting and prancing about. The rest of the ladies, though not specifically mentioned, were all great and I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing the play again on the 21st (press night).

Red Company/Cast:
Master of Play - Phyllida Lloyd
Linda Bassett - Grumio
Penelope Beaumont - Vincentio
Louise Bush - Tailor
Penelope Dimond - Gremio
Amanda Harris - Tranio
Liza Hayden - Biondello
Anna Healy - Baptista
Kathryn Hunter - Kate
Liz Kettle - Pedant
Janet McTeer - Petruchio
Meredith MacNeill - Lucentio
Jules Melvin - Curtis/Sly's Wife/First Waiting Woman
Anne Ogbomo - Christopher Sly
Laura Rogers - Bianca
Rachel Sanders - Widow/Waiting Woman
Yolanda Vazquez - Hortensio

Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to me at ferngully_at@yahoo.com.