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Clarity of word and action, brisk without losing those softer moments, this is a production that seemed to take half the time than when I last saw 'Kate', perhaps only a month ago. This company has embarked upon a local tour and if the pace of their production is any thing to go by, punters will have to be sharp to catch it.
Alex Nicholls playing Petruchio is unstinting in his arrogance, yet he convincingly wins the love and respect of the fiery Kate, beautifully played by Clare Denton. One often reads that the play itself is of dubious relevance with the emergence of caring sharing men and feminist women. People forget that we meet Kate when she is still the 'daughter from hell' and can only benefit from Petruchio's makeover.
Tim Younger's Grumio is a joy with a powerful voice that made certain even those in the bar would not miss a word, but then this goes for the whole company. Their pleasure at being on stage, in character and brimming with confidence gave the show a terrific buzz.
Lucentio (Matt Addis) properly entranced his Bianca (Emma Way) though on occasion his monocled accent got slightly in the way. No matter, she was clearly as smitten as he was. Camp Latin from Josh Howard-Saunders playing Hortensio brought him very close to a character from 'allo 'allo which was great fun, and Polly Mountain as Biondella - short on wit but long on cunning - was most entertaining.
This touring, tight budget production (it's raising funds for a very worthy cause) may be light on set and frippery, but it exudes acting talent. Bill Moulford (Tranio), mugging his way into his boss's costume, David Guthrie (Gremio), bidding a trifle more than all he has for the hand of the delectable Bianca, and John O'Connor (Baptista) so anxious to be rid of daughter Kate - the bottleneck in his dowry/marriage business plan, all fine actors with a supporting cast of matching skills. Catch them while you can.
Review by Don Fathers
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