The Taming of the 'Shrew'

William Shakespeare, adap by Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan Amy Gavin & Hannah Ellis Ryan

Unseemly Women, Girl Gang Manchester & HER Productions

HOME Manchester

May 27-31, 2025; 2hrs 20mins

The little-known pole-dancing scene from The Taming of the 'Shrew' at HOME, Manchester

For the first 10 minutes of this production I could have obtained better prose in a Manchester bus shelter. And fewer obscenities and gratuitous sexual references. Which probably shows that women have caught up with men in many ways, not all of them good.

Fortunately, eventually, the words of Shakespeare came to light and the play improved, but not by much.

Unfortunately the majority of the all-female cast finds it difficult to do what would normally be an essential aspect of the job description: act. Not wander around in a grotesque parody of female sexuality. Not shout out the incomprehensible words of the songs used to pad out the action. Just act.

The one shining exception to this is Petrucchio, played by Jakke Moore. She can project; use her skills to convince that there is a real person in the play and, best of all, doesn't apparently need casual obscenities to get laughs. She almost makes you want to watch this farrago.

The funniest moment for me came in the first half, when a stick-clutching elderly member of the audience slowly and with great deliberation walked down the aisle, across the acting space and disappeared from view. As did other parts of the audience at the half-way stage.

The definition of a shrew is "a character characterised by scolding, nagging and aggression". A good description of this production.

More info and tickets here