Shakespeare lends itself to reinvention. Yes, the language may have a certain Old World charm, but each of Shakespeare’s plays has a timeless quality. So much so, in fact, that recent remakes have seen the Bard’s best loved plays travel through time, to great effect.
Shakespeare WA returns to Kings Park this summer with Taming of The Shrew. This time, however, The Shrew jumps forward several centuries to appear in 1968, thanks in part to the vision of Shakespeare WA’s Artistic Director, Paige Newmark.
‘What we’ve done is we’ve actually set it in 1968 to update it and make it more recognisable, more accessible, more relevant,’ Newmark explained of the contemporary nature of this production. ‘It’s a 400 year old play but the war of the sexes is still as present today as it ever was and the year 1968 was a particularly important year in terms of feminism in Australia.
‘It was the year of Germaine Greer with her Female Eunuch and free love with the availability of the pill. Certainly, the generational difference split was as big there as ever and so much of the play is about generational differences, war of the sexes and very much about the Italian experience.
‘I think why we set it locally as well is because by having a local Italian in 1968, people are able to identify with the characters and with the play and with what’s going on. Italians don’t significantly change their characteristics over time; we’re all happy to watch The Sopranos and The Godfather on TV. So in many ways those Italian characteristics that people love to instantly recognise are still there, so I’m utilising that so that people are able to cue in very quickly to the characters that we see on stage.’
Of course it’s not just the cultural dynamics which define an era, but the fashion too. And there’s no decade that had a more definitive look than the ’60s.
‘I went to see the costumes yesterday and they’re a lot of fun; very recognisable figures and archetypal dress-codes from the ’60s and very Australiana. A lot of bright colours; we’ve got Bianca, one of the daughters, wearing those sort of Nancy Sinatra these-boots-are-made-for-walking mini dresses and things like that.’
It’s not just the look that will blow audiences away too. The cast is simply stunning, with the likes of Sam Longley, Glenn Hall and Will O’Mahoney returning to Shakespeare WA. They’ll be appearing alongside the likes of Anna Brockway, who’ll be taking the title role as the super-shrew Katherina.
But what makes Shakespeare WA’s productions so fantastic is the setting: Kings Park. It’s a space which lends itself to such high drama, with the city a majestic backdrop and the Indian summer breeze an added delight. But of course, these are all mere improvements on an already flawless product: Shakespeare’s great writing,
‘Well, Shakespeare is a great writer and I know it’s a cliché, but over and beyond the cliché he’s still a great writer and when you go and see him, there’s no substitute for great writing; you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and when you start with poor writing you can only ever make it so good.
‘With Shakespeare, you’ve got great writing to start with and hopefully the production makes it even greater,’ Newmark concluded. ‘The experience of being outside, with a picnic, with your family, with a nice bottle and your friends, under the stars and watching the world’s greatest writer – I think it’s an unbeatable combination.’
Taming Of The Shrew appears at Kings Park until Saturday February 6. Tickets are available now through www.bocsticketing.com.au or on the gate.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
