Review: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Shakespeare in the Squares

“Such a mad marriage never was before”

Last night may have been one of the most English evenings I’ve had since moving to London several years ago. Sitting in a private garden near Hyde Park, sipping on wine and watching as a theatre troupe puts on Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew - it can’t get more English than that!

Directed by Toby Gordon, Shakespeare in the Squares’s production of The Taming of the Shrew takes the world of Padua and places it in the 1950s designed by Emily Stuart, with song and dance accompanying the tale of the “mad marriage” between Katherina (Sasha Wilson) and Petruchio (Roddy Lynch).

The show begins with the cast coming down the aisles and performing the 1965 song “Saturday Night at the Movies” by The Drifters, changing some of the lyrics to say things like, “Who cares what Shakespeare you see?” with winks at the amused audience. As one can tell from the opening song, this is going to be a fun production! We are introduced to Bianca (Nikita Johal), a young woman who wants to get married to one of her suitors, Hortensio (Lee Drage) or Gremio (John Holt-Roberts), but is unable to have a wedding until her “cursed” sister, Katherina, is married. 

In typical Shakespearean comedy fashion, the next two hours are full of mischief, disguises and love. Lucentio (Paddy Duff) and Tranio (Kalifa Taylor) arrived in Padua and Lucentio immediately falls in love with Bianca, becoming involved in the schemes of Hortensio and Gremio and disguising himself as a tutor to get close to (and flirt with!) Bianca. Duff portrays Lucentio as an absolute “himbo” with the energy of a golden retriever, following Bianca around with a permanent grin on his face.

Taylor is also delightful as Tranio, who takes on the appearance of her master, Lucentio, in order to win over Bianca’s mother. There is a little bit of gender-swapping in this production, with Baptista (Elizabeth Marsh) becoming the mother of Katherina and Bianca and Tranio being Lucentio’s female companion, though neither of these casting choices really have an impact on the show as a whole. 

An unexpected highlight of this particular production? Actually rooting for Katherina and Petruchio to get together! Normally, productions of The Taming of the Shrew show Petruchio as a gaslighting man who doesn’t actually love Katherina and only wants to break her down for his amusement. In the Shakespeare in the Squares version, Katherina and Petruchio, to put it in modern words, “match each other’s freak,” with both clearly enjoying their banter and actively pranking those around them.

There are some moments in which the pair are arguing, like a scene with Petruchio’s tailor (Marsh) and the actual wedding itself, though that ends in a much happier way than most productions. For once, I can finally understand why Katherina falls in love with Petruchio, a first even after seeing several productions of The Taming of the Shrew over the years.

The songs are all lovely and chosen to fit right in with the story of The Taming of The Shrew, with Music Director Annemarie Lewis Thomas working with songs from the 1950s and 1960s. I particularly enjoyed a mash-up of “Stupid Cupid” (1959) by Connie Francis sung by Katherina and “All Shook Up” (1957) by Elvis Presley sung by Petruchio, each showing their feelings as they start to fall in love before their marriage.

I should also give compliments to Movement Director Charlotte Benedict, who works not only with performers but performers playing instruments, giving them ways to move around that allow them to retrieve instruments as needed. Unfortunately, there are moments when it is difficult to hear the singers above the music, especially when performers are singing solo, but this is to be expected without microphones in an open space.

There are several moments in the show in which the cast interacts with the audience, including a slightly bizarre miming moment in “Jack'n'Jill’s Diner” where several audience members are brought to the “stage” and pretend to drink water as two waiters fight in a slapstick style in circles around them, only using whistles to communicate. It’s a bit repetitive and strange but the younger audience members seem to love it, screaming and laughing at the waiters - Gabriel (Drage), Walter (Holt-Roberts) and Sugarsop (Duff). 

The Taming of the Shrew is a fresh take on the controversial Shakespeare work that combines music and laughter to make for a joyful night. It’s the perfect way for all ages to spend a summer evening outside. Shakespeare in the Squares have created a fantastic production that manages to take the infamous Shrew and put it in a new light, with both the audience and cast having a fun time. 

The Taming of the Shrew tours until 12 July.