The Taming of the Shrew – review

The Taming of the Shrew is showing at the Courtyard Theatre

The Immersion Theatre Company will be performing William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew at The Courtyard Theatre until 27 February.

The play is set in 1960s Hackney where gang boss Baptista (Kate Walsh) is trying to find a husband for her unmarriageable daughter Kate ‘The Curse’ Minola (Rochelle Parry).

Unlike Kate, her sister Bianca (Annabel Norbury) has several suitors lining up to have a shot at wooing her, but Baptista, their mother, won’t allow Bianca to marry until Kate, her shrew of a sister, has been married off first.

Enter Pete (Matthew Flacks) with his two droogs, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, to ‘tame the shew’ and transform the extremely disagreeable Kate into the ‘perfect’ housewife (by 1950s standards).

The performance went off without a hitch and the actors’ onstage rapport was very fluid. The role of Pete was especially energetic and, to quote Cicero: “Whatever the subject of a speech, in whatever art or branch of science, the orator, if he has made himself master of it, will speak on it better and more elegantly than even the very originator and author of it can.” (De Oratore)

Historically this play has been labelled as misogynistic for its themes, but I beg to differ. Firstly, because Baptist is a mother in this version instead of a father. Also, I see it as a critique of male dominated cultures where it takes an entire retinue of these ‘alphas’ to silence one woman. It is a comedy, but I think the real humour lies in watching how ridiculous a proud man can become when trying to hide his own flaws.

The Taming of the Shrew
Until 27 February 2011

The Courtyard
Bowling Green Walk
40 Pitfield Street
N1 6EU

For ticket reservations:
Ticket Web
0844 477 1000

For ticket enquiries for the theatre:
(3pm – 7.30pm Tues – Sun only)
020 7729 2202
tickets@thecourtyard.org.uk