HER Productions modern retelling of this Shakespearean comedy is sexy, subversive, and fun.
The Taming of the Shrew is a widely polarising play, with Shakespeare’s original text often criticised for its overt misogyny. Yet directors Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan successfully and admirably reclaim a feminist narrative in this vibrant instalment of HER Productions’ Unseemly Shakespeare series.
Upon arriving the theatre and queuing to take my seat, the cast immediately set the tone. Dressed in burlesque-inspired outfits, artfully scant, with pearls, corsets, ripped clothing, and exaggerated makeup they strut, crack jokes and interact playfully with the audience. This continues as the audience takes their seat, dismantling any expectations I had for what this reinterpretation was going to look like. Whilst I appreciated the intention of using the small theatre space to create a rowdy, immersive burlesque-club vibe at times it felt a bit too messy and overwhelming. But once the actual show began the performers found their footing and that concern quickly disappeared.
The opening burlesque- style number introduces the gang of Unseemly Women, setting the tone for a musically driven production (with several clever nods to the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack, itself inspired by Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew). A stripper pole dominates the minimal set which works perfectly for the opening scene where Sly (played hilariously by Ciara Tansey), wakes after a heavy night of cabaret. The women prank him, claiming he’s a lord of great wealth. They then spin him, and us, a tale about a wealthy merchant of Padua and his two daughters: Katerina (Shady Murphy) and Bianca (Hope Yolanda). Because of Katerina’s “shrewish” nature, her father has declared Bianca cannot marry until Katerina does which sets in motion the play’s events of deceit, seduction and abuse. This clever framing device, which bookends the play, gives agency to the women because they own this story and control how it’s told.
And they tell it with an infectiously provocative and playful energy. Though the performers remain faithful to Shakespeare’s original text, it’s laced with modern touches and humour that makes it easy to forget that you’re hearing 17th century language. The actors showcase an impressive range: spot on accents (Brummie, Scouse, Mancunian, to name a few), singing, rapping, pole dancing, physical comedy (the hobby horse riding was especially convincing) and engaging audience work. However, Gavin and Ryan do a careful job at ensuring the show doesn’t slip into mere silliness. In the second half, as Katerina endures the horrific “taming” by Petruchio (Emily Spowage), the mood shifts completely. The incredible performances by Murphy and Spowage leaves the audience completely sobered by the all too relevant displays of sexism and marital abuse
The women reunite in the play’s final moments, huddled together with their arms wrapped around each other. It is these beautiful moments of sincerity combined with the show’s sexiness, musical fun, playful costumes and fierce tongue-in-cheek attitude that make this production such a powerful, feminist reinterpretation. I highly recommend seeing it!