The Taming of the Shrew: Table Top Shakespeare

Have you ever been just a little enamoured with a mustard filled beer stein, or bewitched by a green juice extract that is able to disguise themselves just by inverting? Welcome to a 45-to-75-minute serve of a magical re-telling of all of Shakespeare’s 36 plays in eight days. Each play features a collection of household items, and for Taming of the Shrew, starring roles were taken by an orange, Tic Tacs, a flavoured soft drink, an ornamental rose and a delicately chosen and placed collection of shed and domestic essentials. The oil bottle should be mentioned for its strong presence, and for never missing a cue. Unextraordinary, but extraordinarily clever and evocative items enact the tale!

Forced Entertainment (FE) started working together in 1984. Director Tim Etchells reminds us that Shakespeare has permeated both theatre and the world of the everyday person, that he is impossible to escape; so why not really bring him into our lives in an uniquely relatable way?  FE are an ensemble of six actor-creators who have long had an obsession with conjuring extraordinary scenes, images and narratives using language alone, so I checked on the agreed qualities of a brilliant story teller and of the 10 or so, there is no doubt that Claire Marshall, the Shrew’s magic story teller can captivate and convert any non-Shakespeare lover or novice by the sheer force of her beautifully modulated voice, brief asides, clear, vivid, imaginable, compelling story telling skill and deep understanding of the Bard and his tales.

So, for the uninitiated, Taming of the Shrew is a five-act comedy. But it is, as Will is wont to do, a play within a play where everyone grapples with two lots of pranks, and stories, at a time. We start in the English countryside, a poor tinker named Christopher Sly becomes the target of a prank by a local lord. Finding Sly drunk out of his wits in front of an alehouse, the lord has his men take Sly to his manor, dress him in his finery, and treat him as a lord. As is often the case, strolling players arrive and thus, we discover that Taming of the Shrew is both set in Padua and is the players’ play. It describes the volatile courtship between the shrewish Katharina (Kate) and the crafty Petruchio, who is determined to subdue Katharina’s legendary temper and win her dowry. Lucentio loves Bianca, Kate’s, sister but cannot court her until her shrewish older sister Katherina marries. The eccentric Petruccio marries the reluctant Katherina and uses a number of tactics to render her an obedient wife. Lucentio marries Bianca and, in a contest at the end, Katherina proves to be the most obedient wife. Phew!

How do you create this tale with jars, bottles and bric-a-brac? If you are Forced Entertainment, you do it with ground breaking, inventive theatre that boldly uses the millennium long craft of old-fashioned storytelling. Enjoy screen free time, a tiny cast, and a chance to engage your imagination. This is theatre not to be missed.

Jude Hines

Photographer: Hugo Glendinning

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