18 May 2026
Lesley Cowland is at the Abbey Theatre Studio for Company of Ten’s take on the Bard’s romantic comedy…
This early work of Shakepeare’s was a delightful romp from the very beginning. Unlike some other performances of this play, it started, as originally written, with a very drunken Christopher Sly being teased to believe he is watching a play specially performed for him; ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. This motif of Shakespeare to have a play within a play is well known and it is perfectly suited to this Studio setting.
How does a father marry off a ‘difficult’ daughter to enable his favourite daughter to choose her suitor? The plot revolves around this problem with suitor, Petruchio, “taming” Katharina, the “shrew”. In the 21st century this could be seen as contentious, but it wouldn’t have been viewed that way at the end of the 16th century, especially as all the actors would have been male. However in the present day it may cause a few raised eyebrows, but the audience must make up their own minds about who tamed who!
Director Alison Wright’s set design was very simple but well considered. Making use of the brick wall of the studio and decorating it with two lanterns and flower baskets plus adding a set of entrance doors and a tub of flowers provided a perfect backdrop, with the only piece of scenery being a bright green picnic bench.
The space felt as if we, the audience, were out in a pub garden and immersed in the action as we were so close to the players. A clever device was the players bringing on the smaller props in bags and cases as they came on stage to start the play within a play, which quickly dispelled any confusion as to who these people were.
To make this play work the two main characters Katherina, played Jennifer Kilcast and Petruchio, Matthew King, need to have chemistry and they certainly did!
Matthew dominated the stage and Jennifer certainly gave a spirited, angry performance, the words were fierce and their body language matched that, especially when they held each other’s gaze. Somehow through all of that warring, they created that spark of love between them as the play progressed.
The casting was excellent. All the actors played more than one part and every one of them created each of their characters convincingly, so there was no confusion for
the audience. The three suitors for Bianca’s hand, elderly Gremio (Clive Pullen), lively Hortensio (James Tudor) and sweet Lucentio (Jonathan Snelling) were amusing and their vying for attention was well played.
Andrew Baird was Christopher Sly the drunken watcher and spent some of his time actually sitting in the audience which was great fun and his occasional parts in the action were well choreographed.
Victoria Lena played Grumio, Petruchio’s servant, and was the perfect foil for him. Deborah Heath played a very sparky Biondello. Mark Snelling was as convincing in his part of an angry landlord as he was playing the rich and very harassed Baptista. It doesn’t often happen that you have father and son actors in the same play and this is the first time Jonathan and Mark Snelling have shared the stage.
Jenny Whitlock’s costume design was simple, but well suited to the characters’ style and allowed for speedy changes when the players switched their roles. Petruchio’s and Grumio’s wedding outfits were outstanding and they were worn with style! The entrance music was perfect for their appearance on stage. It would have been nice to see Katherina’s wedding outfit just a little more flamboyant to match Petruchio.
The setting in the Studio gave a flavour of how this play would have been produced at the original Globe Theatre. The close proximity of the actors created a real bond with the audience which added to the magic of the play. There were times when it was difficult to see the actors’ faces, occasionally they had their backs to some of the audience, but that seemed to make it more authentic and there was no difficulty in hearing the words.
Director and adaptor Alison Wright has produced a truly delightful and entertaining piece of Shakespearian theatre. She has dealt with the concerns about the contentious submission of Katherina to Petruchio in an ingenious, inventive and interesting way. Alison also added the final scene to Christopher Sly’s tale which provided a perfect, humorous ending to the play.
Do go and see this delightful play and experience what 16th century playgoers would have had enjoyed at the Globe Theatre, without the smells and the need to pelt the actors with rotten food!! There is still time to get your tickets for The Taming of the Shrew which runs until May 23.
Photos by Anna Frizzell
