The Taming of the Shrew

Picturesque views of the city skyline, Glebe Island Bridge and Sydney Harbour create a stunning backdrop for Sydney Shakespeare Festival. In its 5^th year, the festival is the perfect night out for families and couples. Along with the moonlight cinemas, Shakespeare performed under the stars is a must-see on a balmy summers eve.

Unfortunately for me, Saturday night didn’t just have a breeze that kissed your cheeks, instead, it was something akin to a gale-force wind (slight exaggeration) and my light, flimsy summer dress was definitely the wrong choice of attire. However I could be pleasantly whisked away into the comical farce of The Taming of the Shrew, a timeless classic that always offers up laughs and chuckles.

Director Julie Baz has put a modern twist on the play and has directed the actors in such a way that their actions, physical movements and tone are all modern. Costumes and styling are also modern, so modern in fact that at one stage I thought a person from the general public was walking onto the set! The only thing left that wasn’t modernised was the script.

John Michael Burdon was the stand out performer, playing Petruchio. He was quick, his delivery was fantastic and he seemed to be completely in character. The rest of the cast were very good but not outstanding. David Jeffrey as Gremio and Emily Elise, playing three different roles - Grumio, Pedant and Widow, performed tight, believable characters that generated lots of laughs.

Apart from being a little too long (starting at 8pm and finishing sometime after 11pm) it was an enjoyable evening. It’s definitely worth taking your rug, some wine and cheese and stepping out under the stars for a bit of fun at The Sydney Shakespeare Festival.

Emma Bell

To keep up with the latest news and reviews at Stage Whispers, click here to like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.