Review-The Taming of the Shrew-Shakespeare in the Port
18-4-14
By: Stephanie Ip
I was super excited to see Shakespeare in the Port come into fruition. Our own Shakespeare in the Park? Yes! The venue at Cyberport was also spot on. There were abundant grassy patches to lie on, and the stage was decked out in fairy lights and soft glowing cubes. The weather was just right for outdoor events. It was perfect on a clear night and I could imagine how well the festival would work in the afternoon sun.
I watched the Shakespeare Globe version of the The Taming of the Shrew when they toured in Hong Kong last October and, while I enjoyed myself immensely, I did find myself lost with the plot – not having first read or studied the play. I was really intrigued by how a local production of this controversial battle-of-the-sexes would work.
Overall, I enjoyed myself. Director Jonathan Brantley has adapted the play down to just 80 minutes, allowing for a more quick-paced plot, while keeping in all the famous lines. I particularly enjoyed Emma O’Rourke as Katherina, the shrew who must be tamed in the play and her chemistry with both her sister Bianca, played by Keren Chaukria, and her husband Petruchio, played by Daniel Garcia.
But did I think the plot was easy to follow this time around? If you weren’t already familiar with the work, then no, not really.
There were several gaping flaws in the production that made it hard for the non-thespian to follow, the biggest of which was a lack of sound projection from the performers. This might have been hard to get right in the first place, given the outdoor nature of the venue, but I didn’t think the mics helped (there was too much echoing going on). Some of the actors could have projected their voices more. It was hard to fully enjoy a production when half the time was spent struggling to hear the words, made doubly difficult for those who don’t speak Shakespearean on a daily basis!
I was also slightly confused with the set design. While the glowing cubes, placed sporadically around the stage, did look quite nice, I didn’t see why it was necessary for stagehands to move them around so much between scenes. The boxes honestly didn’t have much of a role on the stage, apart from sometimes being a convenient place for an actor to sit. Boxes are such a versatile prop and I expected slightly more use than that. With so much dialogue and so many characters, it was important to give plenty of visual cues to the audience to follow the plot. The banana gun was hilarious. I wished there was more of that kind of humor.
The best part of it all though, was that you could see they were really trying. Shakespeare is not an easy production to put on, and it is the festival’s first year. I’m glad to see it happening, and I can’t wait to check out more of their work in the future.
The Taming of the Shrew plays at Shakespeare in the Port until May 4th. For more information, click here.
Comments
Ada Lau
My kids loved this show. I was shocked how much they enjoyed it. Great job to the whole cast!
20 April 2014Sammie
We had a wonderful time at the festival but it was so hot during the matinee. I felt bad for the performers in those suits!
21 April 2014HK_mum
This review doesn't mention the beautiful education packs provided to parents for free. I home school and thought they were wonderful!
21 April 2014Tom
I watched this show last Saturday evening. Lots of fun moments and a great atmosphere - the audience applauded the end of every scene.
22 April 2014
Key point: the cast were NOT miked and the words came through LOUD and CLEAR. I learned afterwards the mikes were junked after the opening show because they didn't work well and the cast in consequence didn't know how best to pitch their voices. Unamplified, the stage has a surprisingly good natural acoustic and the cast played to it consistently well, which in turn helped the cast/audience dynamic - exactly the way outdoor Shakespeare should be!
Ben
Great show with wonderful performances. A truly unique cultural experience. Must see. Highly recommend. Kate and Petruchio are fabulous~!
27 April 2014Mimi Wong
The festival is a wonderful idea. Our daughter loved Julius Caesar so much that she made us come back for Taming. They created an 8 year old Shakespeare fan. I think it's wonderful someone made a theatre festival that is so accessible for children and entertaining for everyone. They even took time to talk with her after the show and take a picture with her. Can't thank this company enough for making our daughter feel special.
03 May 2014Ashley Askew
Absolutely loved the festival. We saw the Sunday show that got rained out a bit- very impressed with the professionalism of the company involved and how they kept it going. Will be going next year and recommending it to all my friends!
19 May 2014