Theatre - The Taming of the Shrew

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is rather a troublesome work for feminists, as it deals with the subjugation of a feisty character, Kate, the ‘Shrew’ of the title, by her husband. She starts the play full of independent spirit, and ends it delivering a monologue explaining how women should always honour and obey their husbands’ every wish. We are pretty sure, however, that the company performing the play this evening, Oddsocks Productions, will deal with this rather anachronistic moral in an ironic, light-hearted and thoroughly modern way. Oddsocks are a touring company who specialise in wacky user-friendly performances of Shakespeare plays and other works by classic English authors such as Dickens, and the Brontes. They started as a clown act and have translated this very physical brand of theatre into a number of the classic works over the last decade and more, touring ‘from Damascus to Darlington, from Gateshead to Guernsey’… and now Newhaven Fort. Expect audience participation and a lot of laughs as the troupe turn their hand to one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays.

Oddsocks’ take on the plot? ‘Take one very fresh, attractive but ruthless, bounty-hunting rogue, introduce to a wild, dangerous and opinionated woman, stir in a large helping of music, song, slapstick and comedy, add some pre-nuptial tension and a host of comedy characters and what do you get? Chemistry that no other Shakespearean couple can match!’ Indeed. DL