A Brutally Honest Critique
Recently, the National Shakespeare Company performed a rendition of
William
Shakespeare’s The taming of the Shrew. The play was humorous and allowed
for easy
interpretation. The comic tone of the play made it a even easier to
follow and all the more fun to
watch.
The play incorporates a variety of literary elements, which the Company
did a superb job
defining for the audience during the performance. The play is set in
Padau, Italy where
Luciento, a young gentleman, finds himself heart sick for a young lady
named Bianca. Bianca
has an older sister Kate, who is quite the ill tempered one. Their
father Baptista insists that Kate,
the older daughter, must be married off before he will allow Bianca to
find a suitor. Petruchio, a
gentleman from Verona, arrives in search of both a wife and wealth and
decides that Kate’s
wealth is an even trade off for her rash ways. Comedy manifests itself
in the developing plot as
Petruchio attempts to “tame” Kate while Luciento, his servant and
another of suitor of Bianca
dress in disguises and attempt to win over Bianca’s heart and her
fathers financial interests.
Clearly the play was well rehearsed and National Shakespeare Company
deserves credit
for their performance. Kate, played by Tracie Merrill, did a
particularly outstanding job.
Her enunciation and honed acting skills truly made the play worth
watching. In addition,
Petruchio played by Erik Singer, did an especially good job. His wit
and charisma
contrasted Kate’s character well and really pulled the audience into the
performance.
In general, all of the characters seemed well cast and the use of props
was satisfactory.
Overall the play was a good performance. The use of literary
techniques is evident
through an examination of the play. It is clear that plot, theme and
characters provided the
action and the props provided the setting, combining in the deliverance
of a great Shakespearean
