Any director bold enough to tackle Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is faced with a pretty big problem. The plot – and title – depicts a headstrong woman who is “tamed” by a man into submissiveness. Whatever the Bard’s intention, his script plays on the dichotomy between two sisters – one perfectly docile, the other the titular shrew.
Along the way, Katherine is subjected to what we would now call verbal abuse by her undesired husband and master, Petruchio. And to top it off, it’s a comedy not a tragedy – so the audience is supposed to laugh. But what’s funny about domestic abuse? Jude Christian ’s new production is hyper aware of this.
In his play, characters wear clown-like outfits and act through puppet versions of themselves, all under the gaze of a horribly off-white inflatable bear who makes up the entire backdrop – all as if to emphasise the absurdity of Shakespeare’s play (actually a play within a play, a brand spanking new conceit in Shakespeare’s time, revolutionary to contemporary theatre goers). The prologue sees Christopher Sly stumble on from the back of the Globe’s standing audience, sloshing his beer across amiable, Shakespeare-loving audience members and encouraging the crowd to sing along to Tom Jones’ Delilah. An altercation ensues, with Sly shouting at one woman “go back to your country” – an uncomfortable moment that is then entirely brushed over and race not addressed by the play.
The woman runs on stage and –.