Thursday 26th July 2007 - a nice day for a picnic or a nice night for an open-air performance. Well, alright it wasn't nice. In fact it was terrible. Nevertheless, at around 6:30pm I ventured out into the p*****g rain with my family to support the locals at a National Trust theatre event - a production of The Taming of the Shrew. Despite the weather, the performance was very impressive and the actors clearly ignored the showers and continued to give it their all.
This one of Shakespeare's earlier plays, is a comedy filled with confusions, satire and a good ol' fashioned dig at women! The Taming of the Shrew, however, is not all that it suggests. There is a shrew (Katherine), the tamer of that shrew (Petruchio of Verona) but there are also many other characters, as themselves and sometimes in disguise. The story starts with two sisters, Katherine and Bianca, Bianca whom has many suitors but who is also denied marriage by her father until Katherine is married before her. Katherine, as her notorious title suggests, is a bit crabby and tends to just throw a wobbly whenever she's confronted by a male. Thus, it seems Bianca has no hope. The story progresses into a twisted tale that I shall not go into for your own sake - we'll be here forever.
I was very impressed with the actress playing Katherine; she was a strong performer, cleverly focusing on her facial expression and posture to create the perfect miserable cow. She had scowling down a tee and a heavy stomp - all she needed was a pair of big, black boots and a 'Nirvana' hoody and she might have looked like a proper teenager. Unfortunately, the actress playing Bianca was slightly weaker, so she didn't match up to her fellow actress. Yet, I think I can say she was sufficiently girly enough to match her girly part; perhaps being a weaker actress played to her strength as that character.
The most outstanding performances for me personally, however, were the performances by the Tailor and Petruchio of Verona. The Tailor, although only a minor part, perfected his character to what I imagine to be his own interpretation of the man. He was a hunched over, elderly man, complete with a funny little voice and a comical stutter. He may have only had a few lines, but he certainly got the audience's attention with his excellent stage presence, and I couldn't help but give a little giggle or two. Otherwise, I always remember to respect my elders.
Petruchio of Verona on the other hand, was a much bolder character, but with an equally brilliant stage presence. He kept up his husky voice, nearly always shouting to emphasise his authority and strength of character. He used his props well (hitting his female servant in the face with a fake ham - I think it was an accident...) and wore the clothes of a madman like he was born in them. It may be fair to say he was the most convincing character of them all. Except perhaps the minstrel, who managed to sit on the same upside-down pot for the duration of the play. If it were me, I would have at least protested to get a proper chair, after all, there is no such thing as a small part, only small actors. And he wasn't that small.
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night. I am being very positive, probably because my most vivid memory of the night was my uncontrollable laughter at the cold wet faces of poor English folk in rain macs. Particularly my father's, whose most enjoyable part was probably the battenberg we'd brought for our picnic; he's not really into Shakespeare, he's a Sheridan man. Likes the tights. But, my hat's off to all the actors for continuing so bravely throughout several downpours and the impressive performances of nearly all of the actors. The comedy was there, the farce was certainly there, and there was even a boy wearing hair gel, which I'm sure Shakespeare would've disapproved of - the rain soon sorted that.
So, many thanks to the National Trust for providing such a treat, and there could still be more to come from them - we might win some gardening advice on the raffle.
Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Taming of the Shrew'.
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