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Iain Mackay as Petruchio and Elisha Willas as Katherina. Pictures: Andrew Ross The Taming of the Shrew
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Hippodrome
***** SO who said ballet can’t be fun?
Shakespeare’s celebrated comedy is a delightfully light-hearted romp in
the hands of Birmingham Royal Ballet. It is a funny - laugh out loud at times - with
some knockabout slapstick but this is an Elizabethan romcom remember, so
there are some beautiful tender moments, with two exquisite pas de deux. This is the play that
gave us Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate
and in this notable John Cranko choreographed 1969 version the tale is
simplified to its essentials with three suitors, the foppish Hortensio,
danced in rakish style by Chi Cao, the dashing student Lucentio, danced
with youthful authority by Brandon Lawrence and the old roué Gremio,
danced delightfully by Rory Mackay, who shows
They are the would-be suitors of Bianca, danced
delightfully by Jenna Roberts, her second act pas de deux with Lucentio
one of the highlights. She is the pretty, vain daughter of Baptista, a
wealthy gentleman of Padua, but Baptista declares Bianca’s hand is not
on offer until he has found a suitable husband for her older sister
Katherina.
There is only one problem, Katherina is both
pretty and pretty vile; an Olympic standard shrew; a clawing, spitting,
biting, fighting hell cat. So our three comic suitors find themselves a
patsy, Petruchio, a handsome gentleman of few means, which become even
less when, tired as a newt in the local hostelry, he is stripped and
robbed by a pair of ladies of negotiable virtue, danced by Delia Mathews
and Angela Paul So with just his long johns to his name, he is
persuaded by the three hopefuls that a successful courtship of Katherina
would solve all his money problems, without mentioning, of course, it
would also remove a rather large obstacle in their romantic pursuits. One advantage Petruchio has is that Baptista is
not so much bothered about the standing of her suitors as their stomach
for the nuclear level battle of the sexes that will ensue. Petruchio
looks perfect for the part (i.e. he seems willing) so Katherina is
married off before he can change his mind. Iain Mackay is a fine dancer, making it all look
so easy and effortless and the role of Petruchio gives him a chance to
act as well, as he slowly tames his new bride, or she tames him, to end
with a most delicate and tender pas de deux, quite beautiful to watch,
but it is Elisha Willis as Katherina who steals the show. For many in the audience it will be their last
sight of BRB’s diminutive Australian principal, who retires from dancing
at She petulantly stomped her way through the first
act, lashing out at anyone who came near – I suspect even the orchestra
were ducking whenever she approached the edge of the stage. Fists and
kicks flying, scowls and snarls everywhere, this was a woman you married
at your peril.
Tamed – the clue is in the title - we see her
tender side, although she can still instil fear in her sister, now
married to Lucentio, and his two rivals for her hand Gemio and Hortensio,
tricked into marrying Petruchio’s prostitute robbers by Lucentio, all
being fair in love and war. All you can say after a performance like that is
thanks for the memories. The music by Kurt-Heinz Stolze is after the
baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti, which means plenty of harpsichord
and horns which after a rather jolly overture keeps up a cheery pace
throughout under Royal Ballet Sinfonia guest conductor Wolfgang Heinz
while the scenery and costumes of Susan Benson’s design, courtesy of The
National Ballet of Canada, are suitably sumptuous. This is the first staging of the ballet by BRB
and comes as part of its season commemorating the 400th anniversary of
Shakespeare’s death, and from the audience reaction on the opening
night, it will not be the last. BRB, incidentally, are taking the production to
Bristol Hippodrome at the end of the month, the first visit to the city
in 15 years, and Bristol, you are in for a treat. The taming of the shrew runs to Saturday, 18 June
with a Shakespeare triple bill running from 22-25 June. Roger Clarke 16-06-16
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a
real bent for comedy. Indeed the trio are a splendid comic turn
throughout.
the end of the current season, going out at the top. And it was a
performance to remember and savour.