Considering ticket sale figures and the reputation of the European Theatre Group (ETG), I had high hopes for their production of one of Shakespeare’s most renowned comedies.  And as the genre would suggest, it was, above all, funny.  Every glance, gesture and tone of voice resulted in laughter, and the acting was of a suitably high standard to enable the exploitation of some of the more obscure humour in Shakespearean language.  As is expected from a prestigious dramatic society in the home run of a touring show, the energy and chemistry of the cast meant timing was never awry.  Jason Forbes was a standout comic talent as Tranio, whilst Tom Pye displayed great flair for making the most of a series of cameo roles.

However, this production also emphasised a thought-provoking reading of the play, tracking Katharina’s progress from an unruly and unmarrie girl to a subservient and obedient wife.  Sophie Crawford came to the fore in her chilling monologue as Katharina at the play’s climax, as the once free-spirited woman berates her peers for failing a test of their obedience to their husbands. Shakespeare may well have intended the play as a farce (probably satirising rather than expounding extreme patriarchal values), but the danger that this could fail to connect with a modern audience justifies the company’s successful and innovative interpretation of the play as a cautionary moral tale on misogyny.

However, such a dramatic range did damage the flow and unity of the play as a whole. The transition from laughter to tension was at times more awkward than effective, disrupting continuity and resulting in a sometimes disrupted and jerky feel. That said, the cast played the audience superbly well: the comic moments were genuinely funny, the tense truly harrowing.  Petruchio needed to be at the centre of this contrast, and Joey Batey proved his diverse acting talent to be equal to the challenge, highlighting humour whilst
displaying strong sensitivity to the production’s harder edge.

Setting the play in a travelling 1950s fairground, however, may have been an creation too far.  Despite being well established by the vibrant set, stylishly choreographed dance routines and even the occasional magic trick, its effectiveness is inevitably limited by the Shakespearean script, and added little to the humour or meaning of the play.  The era in particular felt like an odd choice, as surely few audience members likely to be at this student production can relate to the 1950s. With the issues of sexual inequality and separate gender spheres still relevant to society today, it would perhaps have been more effective to use a modern day setting rather than allowing the audience to banish these issues to a minority travelling community in a bygone age.

The ETG certainly presented a bold version of the play, as befits their self-proclaimed innovative and experimental style.  Although the frequent switches from comedy to tension jarred at times, I warmed to the contrasts of light and dark in the play. Here is a thought-provoking production which is also greatly entertaining, presenting a reading which fully exploits the humour of Shakespeare’s comedy whilst bringing home a serious message.