The Taming of the Shrew

It was a pleasure to be invited to this intimate theatre so see this production.  Shakespeare, done well, can be enthralling and entertaining.  The Lytton Players did this production proud.  The main cast were all strong and the joy of such a small theatre is that we can see all the facial expressions which added to the enjoyment.

The lead roles Katherina, played by Sophie Harris and Petruchio played by Andreas Georgiou were excellent, there was a great rapport between them which added to the intensity of the roles.

Ebonie Mather (Bianca) and Linda Friis (Baptista) were both strong characters and all the male roles were played with gusto.

Joseph Poppy and Alex Hancock were very entertaining as they swapped roles to further their personal ambitions.  A special mention for Craig Harris (Hortensio) for his lute playing!   Chris Twomey played Gremio, an old man, which he did very well, considering he was much younger than the character he played.

Director Barry Woolhead certainly knows how to get the most out of Shakespeare’s dialogue, the play moved at a pace, and he got a lot of comedy from the dialogue, which is not always the case with Shakespeare!

The supporting roles were all played well and the fact that one member of the cast had gone down with Covid the day before meant stand-ins who coped very well with the lines.

Costumes were appropriate as they should be from a society that regularly performs Shakespeare.  The simple set worked very well and my compliments to Lucy Jones (Blondella and other parts) for the graceful way she made the scene changes, it added to the atmosphere, it’s a shame that others did not follow her example.

Overall a very enjoyable evening, my thanks to Bob Sage for his hospitality, I was made to feel very welcome.

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