• Showing at: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon.
• Season: May - November 2003
• Buy Tickets
• Entertainment Rating: 98%
• Drama Rating: 95%

Well, what can I say? I just witnessed the difference between reading and studying Shakespeare, and actually seeing it performed on stage.

At first, I must admit, I did have doubts over this Shakespeare play. I knew very little about it, and reviews I had previously read praised it, but were very vague about doing it. I therefore entered the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford with no idea what to expect.

I burst out in laughter before I even knew the characters' names! The curtains opened to Lucentio, who has fallen in love with a young girl called Bianca, and his trusty, satirical, and witty servent Tranio. Rory Kinnear (playing Tranio) became even more comical as the story progressed. He and his master swap places to help Lucentio chase the girl he loves, and Tranio's swap from pose to "attempted" poetry had the audience in stitches, along with having to walk in his high-heeled master's shoes.

But the main bulk of the plot and humour surrounds the two main characters: Katherine; a wild, angry, stubborn girl with the reputation of being a "shrew" (a sharp-tongued, hot-headed woman); and the odd, bubbly, boyish character of Petruchio. Their descriptions alone conjure potential for a hilarious play, but with some great ideas from RSC director Gregory Doran, the performance was histerical.

The title comes from the basic plot: whether or not Petruchio will be able to tame his hot-tempered wife. However, the play also adds the competition between different male characters as they pursue their dreams of marrying the beautiful Bianca. It is Katherine, however, who concludes the play with a poetic soliloquy explaining how it is to be the male who is to be the tamer, and not the woman - however the battle of the sexes has never been so funny.

Most importantly for me, this play showed how much of a significant change a performance can make to the script. The funny faces of the actors, the sarcasm in their voices, the different accents, and their reaction to happenings on stage put the script into perfect context for all to enjoy and laugh at. After watching this, I firmly believe that in future, when studying Shakespeare, I will find it a lot easier watching a stage performance and studying it, than simply reading it. The performance adds a whole new dimension to the play, adding plenty of possibilities.

The only thing this play missed was Rowan Atkinson and John Cleese. With so many hysterical and satirical characters, there is absolutely no way you cannot enjoy this play. Anyone, of any age, will find this hilarious - and for any teenagers who have studied Shakespeare and find it boring - watch this, it'll change your mind forever. This play is witty, satirical, and absolutely hilarious - I've never laughed so hard at a play by Shakespeare - perfect "tongue-in-cheek" humour. What a perfect way to spend day in Stratford.

Review by Richard J Turner (09th August 2003)

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