Review: The Taming of the Shrew at the Festival Theatre, Malvern
TOO tame by half and far from the rocky ride normally associated with Shakespeare's sparring couple.
Nichola McAuliffe's Kate provided a softer interpretation - no rough-house tomboy tactics - sadly tamed well before expected. It meant few sparks flew across the stage between the lovers in what is one of the Bard's best loved comedies.
Ross Kemp, in his first major Shakespearean role and better known for his hard-man image in a particular tv soap, has certainly rose to what he described as a "great challenge."
A more than passable Petruchio.
The use of modern dress didn't sit comfortably with the Shakespearean text, and neither did the considerably spartan set. Why do directors persist in heading in this direction?
A little more flair, flamboyance, and colour, would not have gone amiss.
VW
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