The Taming of the
Shrew by William Shakespeare
Australian
Shakespeare Company.
In Botanical Gardens,
Melbourne, until March 1998
Reviewed by Kate Herbert around
Dec 29 1997
There are many ways to interpret Shakespeare's 'Taming of
the Shrew'. Playing it outdoors limits the more subtle choices.
Glenn Elston's production in the Botanical Gardens follows that of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Twelfth Night', all of which have approached Will's text with broad and comic brush strokes.
Glenn Elston's production in the Botanical Gardens follows that of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Twelfth Night', all of which have approached Will's text with broad and comic brush strokes.
The locations are dreamy. The modern prologue is set on an
emerald hill sloping toward the lake. The ensuing romance plays before a
backdrop of leggy, backlit palms and a rowdy cast of fruit bats. It is gorgeous
- particularly when accompanied by a champagne supper.
This entertaining production zips along at a cracking pace for
two and a half hours It is a broad burlesque with plenty of physical comedy,
wordplay and verbal innuendo, much, but not all of which, is inherent in
Shakespeare's text. The audience seemed uproariously happy with the Benny Hill
'nudge nudge' style.
Baptista (Ernie Gray) has two daughters: the wild-flower
shrew, 'Kate the cursed' (Nadine Garner) and Bianca, the sweet model of tedious
virginity. The untameable, bonny yet undesirable Kate must be married before
Bianca can accept her many suitors. Enter Petruchio (Nick Eadie) to save the
day by whisking Kate - and her fortune -away to a life of domestic
subservience.
The inevitable problem arises. How does a late 20th century
production deal with the profoundly sexist premise that Kate must be rendered
impotent and her spirit broken by the ruthless Petruchio? Most often, as is the
case here, she eventually chooses to see her repression as a game to be played
and enjoyed at the expense of others.
Unfortunately, Garner provides no sexual tension or subtlety
in her one-note performance of Kate. She shouts relentlessly in a shrill
screech that only ceases when Kate acquiesces to her fascist husband. Her final
speech is completely lost.
Eadie's Petruchio is attractive, blokey and his physical
antics are funny. His wooing of Kate was directed inappropriately as a 'grab
ya, gotcha' sort of violation that eliminates all the truly sexy and seductive
elements in their banter.
Nick Lyon's music gives a delightfully evocative Renaissance
flavour and the ensemble all provide some hilarious slapstick with great comic
turns from Meridy Eastman, Kevin Hopkins and James Wardlaw. . Ernie Gray's is a
fine Baptista. His inimitable comic skill allows an essentially straight
character a further ironic dimension.
This is enjoyable and accessible Shakespeare -but it needs a
stronger Kate.
KATE HERBERT
