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Synopsis At Wilton's, that surviving testament to our Music Hall past, this most theatrical of Shakespeare's comedies is put to the test. Nick Hutchison directs Rachael Stirling (TV adaptation of Tipping the Velvet; Theatre of Blood at NT) and Oliver Chris (Boyce in Green Wing), in the play that has divided opinion for centuries.
Shakespeare’s comedy, which depicts the breaking of a young woman’s will by her gold-digging new husband, has long divided audiences and critics alike. Is the play a reactionary relic from an unashamedly sexist age, or the depiction of two individuals with a playful approach to gender identity? This Nick Hutchison directed production appears to plump for the latter interpretation.
Propeller’s recent staging of the play at the Old Vic side-stepped the problem by presenting the action as the wish-fulfilling dream of Christopher Sly - a drunken tinker of rather disreputable aspect. Christopher also features in this version of the work, but here the prologue takes a more familiar form: the unconscious Sly is discovered outside an alehouse by a mischievous lord who installs him in his castle and tells him he is the noble master, newly restored from a bout of madness. He is then presented with a play: The Taming of the Shrew.
Enjoyment of Hutchison’s take on the story depends upon how persuaded one is by the “right on” rehabilitation of original work. This viewer remains unconvinced that the play is a coded satire on male chauvinism.
In keeping with the modern politics, the costumes are contemporary, and we are thrown into a world of chavs, trendy arty types and a dress designer with a strong resemblance to Karl Lagerfeld. However, such modishness only stresses how antiquated the plays’ social mores have become.
Also, the topical nods this show makes towards the TV chefs and C-list celebrities of today suggests an affectionate acceptance of these latter-day types. Siobhan Hewlett’s portrayal of Bianca as a potential Big Brother contestant seems particularly unfortunate in this respect.
That said, there are some fine performances to enjoy here. Rachael Stirling, an actress whose striking quality is a certain stillness, initially strikes one as a strange choice to play Kate. However, she manages to inject this difficult role with genuine pathos. Philip Voss exudes authority as Baptista Minola, and John Conroy’s Gremio is the epitome of desiccated dignity. Meanwhile, Annie Gosney’s design and Sarah Surridge’s costumes set the scene convincingly in this most beautiful of venues.
A darker, more intelligent reading of this play would make for highly entertaining theatre.
This is the best thing I've seen in ages. Wiltons makes a wonderful Neo Italian setting for what can be a difficult play. A uniformly strong cast revels in Nick Hutchison's liberating interpretation and on the night I saw it the packed house was captivated throughout. Leave your preconceptions at home: the shrew isn't who you thought she was and the story makes great, modern sense. - Jock Mawson
25 Mar 07
Shrew reads as an unsympathetic attack on women who talk too much and it's a conundrum for a director to make something acceptable to a modern audience out of it. Nick Hutchison solved this one very well, and he had a dream of a Katerina to do it with in Rachael Stirling. From the moment she came on, ranting and raging, you could see there was something desperately out of kilter in her surroundings and not an innate fault in her. She'd been stuck since childhood with a stuck-up, goodie-goodie younger sister and a father too besotted with his spoiled brat to notice how he was neglecting the much more intelligent, interesting elder child. Oliver Chris as Petruchio produced a very subtle piece of characterisation in response to this - he saw at once what the problem was, not to mention falling headlong for Kate from the first instant, and he could see how to win her and save her by being a sparring partner who actually cared for her. When she finally got the point that he was playing with her, it was very touching. These two transformed what can come across as an oafish comedy into a true love story. Thoroughly recommended for anyone with a heart. - Robert Rowe
25 Mar 07
Very, very funny production which engrossed and amused the full capacity audience the evening I saw it. Hauntingly beautiful, crumbling Wiltons Music Hall is a bold choice of venue for this controversial comedy of relationships and non PC behaviour. Leave your preconceptions at home and go and revel in the sheer fun and delight presented by the excellent cast. - Valerie Noble
Grace's Alley off Ensign Street and Cable Street Inner London London E1 8JB
Telephone
020 7702 2789
Station
Tower Hill (LT)
Description
Built by pub owner John Wilton in 1859, the world's oldest music hall. Closed in the 1880's it became a Methodist Mission and later a rag warehouse. Once condemned, it was saved by the intervention of Sir Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers and Sir John Betjeman.
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