Shakespeare in the Park - The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is the second annual Shakespeare in the Park, performed by Roleystone Theatre in the beautiful surrounds of Araluen Botanic Park’s amphitheatre. Playing on two consecutive weekends, the show plays at 4pm, avoiding the heat of the day, but allowing the use of natural light.
Once again under the direction of Paul Treasure, this time we enjoy The Taming of the Shrew, set beautifully in the late 1950s (a nice twist for a play written in the 1590s),
A gorgeous looking production, costumes co-ordinated by Penny Ramsell and Joanne Padgett are lovely, with the women’s costumes stunning, and some of the best-dressed men I have seen on stage in a while. Great 1950s makeup and beautiful hair and wigs by Yvette Drager Wetherilt.
The Taming of the Shrew is of course confronting, and has some issues for a modern, feminist audience. For those familiar with the show, Katharina in this production is given obvious agency, and it is clear that she ends the show a woman in charge of her own destiny. The text, while edited, is unchanged and traditional.
Kristen Twynam-Perkins-Perkins gives us a mature, headstrong and feisty Katharina, who has great agency and power a very nicely crafted performance. She is given a worthy match in Patrick Downes’ Petruchio, played with a sense of fun and no discernible misogyny.
Joanna Tyler is a lovely Bianca - with great charm and style. Great rivalry from her suitors, Ben Adcock, making a superb community theatre debut as Lucentio, William Everett-Knight as Hortensio and Phillip Steele-Young as Gremio.
To re-address the lack of female roles, several characters in this incarnation are gender flipped. Jane Sherwood is an elegant, stately and powerful Basptista Minola. Elise Kelly is deservedly an audience favourite, improvising superbly and delighting as Grumio. Fiona Blakely has lovely authority as Vincentio, nicely copied by Michelle Juschke as the ‘pretend Vincentio’.
Andre Victor, on crutches off-stage uses a walking stick to great effect as Tranio, Zac Skelton offers solid support as Biondello, Nicquelle Rhodes makes the most of limited stage time as the Tailor and the Widow, while Patrick Ragan completes the cast nicely, making an impressive stage debut as Curtis and the Officer.
Lovely use of a found space. Congratulations to Director Paul Treasure, Production Manager Mollie McGarrity and Logistician Daniel Ramsell for effective co-ordination.
With the opportunity to have a very pleasant picnic in the park, Shakespeare in the Park - The Taming of the Shrew is an experience as well as a production, and a great deal of fun.
Kimberley Shaw
Photographer: Zyg Woltersdorf.
Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.