Review: The Taming Of The “Shrew” at Hope Mill Theatre “brings heart, laughs and realism…”

Unseemly Women teams up with HER Productions and Girl Gang Manchester as The Taming of the “Shrew” arrives at the Hope Mill Theatre for a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s play. Unseemly Women’s all-female and non-binary cast reclaim the narrative and deliver Shakespeare as you’ve never experienced it before.

The stage is bathed in rose pink light, as the Bellas perform their routine at their cabaret club until it is interrupted by drunken lout, Christopher Sly. Sly gets into trouble and gets knocked out by headstrong dancer Page (Shady Murphy). While he is out cold, Page and the rest of the Bellas plot to perform a prank to make him believe he is a lord, this prank sees the cabaret dancers perform the play, The Taming of the “Shrew”, to teach him a lesson.

The play is set in the city of Padua, the wealthy merchant Baptista (Jakki Moore), has two daughters, the elder Katherina (also Shady Murphy) has a shrewish reputation and is unpopular in the city, unlike her younger sister Bianca who has many suitors. However, Baptista will not allow Bianca to be married until his eldest daughter finds a husband.

The outspoken Petruchio (Emily Spowage) is the only suitor who is not put off by Katherina’s reputation and vows to “tame” her and make her his wife. This leaves Bianca to be contested by several different suitors, such as the young and wealthy Lucentio (Mia Gibson) along with his friend Tranio (Leah Eddleston) who decide to trade places to give Lucentio a better chance of winning Bianca’s hand and rich elderly noble Gremio (Sarah Legg).  

The strength of the show lies in the ability of the 12-stong cast, who all deliver great performances and command of the play’s Shakespearean dialogue. Shady Murphy is in excellent form as both Page and Katherina and makes for a truly human performance as she brings Katherina to life even as her character’s voice is disquieted by the patriarchal world that she finds herself in. While Emily Spowage as Petruchio is always a scene stealer, Spowage’s ability to go from bold, brash and comedic to cold, malevolent and manipulative from scene to scene is incredibly impressive as she makes the role of Petruchio her own. 

Mia Gibson and Leah Eddleston shine as the double act of Lucentio and Tranio whose prince and the pauper-like role of trading places provides a good source of comedy to the play, Eddleston also displays her impeccable athleticism with her pole dancing skills that she makes look effortless. 

Naomi Albans is also great as Petruchio’s grovelling servant Grumio even delivering an impressive monologue at quick speed and good comedic timing, particularly in a scene where Grumio feuds with The Tailor (Oceana Cage), while Nicole Keri impresses as the bodacious Hortensio bringing her brand of charisma to the role.

Hope Yolanda, Sarah Legg, Jakki Moore, Oceana Cage, Megan Holland and Ciara Tansey round out the cast and all get their chances to shine with their strong performances it is great fun for the audience to watch their characters play off each other throughout the play. Each cast member masters the little things that bring their characters to life, such as Lucentio while posing as a tutor reading from an upside-down book or Katherina holding her head in her hands showing that effect of Petruchio’s “taming”, showing how the cast know their characters inside and out.

The pacing is affected a little in the beginning by the setup of the frame narrative but once the play within a play begins and all the characters are introduced, the plot begins to flow very easily and makes for a great show. The play is split into two acts with a total running time of two hours with a twenty-minute interval.

Another strong point of the show is how the play doesn’t shy away from the brutal nature of the titular “taming of the shrew” and shows Petruchio’s emotional manipulation for the cruel act that it is, while still retelling Shakespeare’s original story. The strong sound design (by Hannah Bracegirdle) works perfectly to highlight this and builds the tense atmosphere whenever Petruchio speaks. The great sound design is also complemented by the impressive lighting on display (by Tom Sutcliffe) with some of the most realistic lightning flashes done on stage. 

The performance involves the use of modern songs (Musical Director Eliza Waters) that fit quite well considering that the play is being performed in a cabaret club. The songs act as transitions between scenes such as the opening of Air’s song Sexy Boy which expertly shifts into the tolling of wedding bells before an important wedding scene.

Directed by both Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan who are changing the way we experience Shakespeare, with singing, performative dance and jokes to accompany the original Shakespearean story, Unseemly Women’s production of The Taming of The “Shrew” brings heart, laughs and realism to the original tale in this modern retelling.

Tickets for The Taming Of The “Shrew” at Hope Mill Theatre

The Taming of the Shrew is showing at The Hope Mill Theatre until Sunday, 30 June 2024.

Tickets can be booked here

All photos credit Shay Rowan