3rd to 7th April 2012 (performances on Good Friday and Easter Saturday)
Director: Matthew Partridge
The Tamer Tamed is the sequel to Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew – where the women get their revenge on the newly remarried Petruchio.
Written by John Fletcher, the Bard’s collaborator on Henry VIII, Two Noble Kinsman and (the lost) Cardenio, the play combines moments of high and low comedy with some powerful speeches in this timeless tale about the battle of the sexes and who really comes out on top.
The production will be set in London in the early 1920s, at the start of a revolution in gender relations. Although it was an era of servants and “imperious husbands”, it was also a time of the flappers and making a statement.
The fourteen strong cast is split evenly between men and women, with three out of the five largest roles (including the lead) going to women.
Women
Maria – (Playing age 25-35). Petruchio’s new wife. Unafraid to use all the weapons at her disposal in order to tame him.
Livia – (20-25). Maria’s sister. Conservative and down-to-earth, although independent enough to reject her father’s preferred suitor Gremio.
Katherine – (25-35). Petruchio’s late wife. Appears at the start, middle and the end. Doubles as a servant.
Bianca – (25-35). Katherine’s sister. Plays a key role in supporting Maria’s rebellion and in helping Livia outwit Gremio and Petronius.
Country Wife + City Wives 1 & 2 – Any age. Participants in the women’s rebellion. Will also be required to double as Druggist, First Watch and Second Watch respectively.
Men
Petruchio – (Playing age 30-40). Maria’s husband. His reputation as a “wife-tamer” belies the fact that he really wants a quiet life.
Roland – 15-20. Livia’s young lover and Gremio’s rival. Impetuous, immature and emotional.
Petronius – 40-60. Maria and Livia’s father. Curmudgeonly, authoritarian, and disgusted at his daughters’ behaviour and the men’s inability to control them.
Tranio – 25-40. A former servant who is now a minor gentleman. Kind-hearted fellow who works with Bianca to unite Livia and Roland.
Gremio – 30-45. A wealthy merchant friend of Petruchio who wishes to marry Livia, even though she finds him creepy.
Jaques and Pedro – Any age. Petruchio’s servants. Fierecly loyal to their master. Jaques is the more senior.