For something a little different Jen suggested we go catch a play at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. Tickets had been sold out for quite a while so the weather being rather sh!te actually worked in our favour for once. As it looked like the performance was going to be a wash out quite a few people had cancelled their tickets so, even though we were at risk of being caught in a downpour, we grabbed a couple of the returns. There was of course the option of buying the cheaper tickets on the grass but I wasn’t interested in getting grass stains and a wet bum on a very cool summer night.

Open Air Theatre comes annually to Regent’s Park so take advantage of it whilst its around. It was actually pretty nice to be out in the fresh evening air to be enjoying the play – but I would definitely try and get as close to the stage as possible to enable both being able to hear the actors and see the detail in both their expressions but also the stage. Of course it also helps that the weather is fine. Luckily for us it only threatened to rain a few times and even when the sky opened up it was only for a light splatter. It was rather amusing though to see, and hear, the ripple in the crowd at any hint of rain as all the paranoid people raised their umbrellas and doned their shells.

A quick summary about the play. Based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, the play tells the story of one father with unwed two daughters – the elder, Katherine, with her sharp tongue, critical and opinionated and the younger, Bianca, the fairer and supposedly sweeter one. The younger has no end of suitors but the father insists she will not be wed before her elder sister. The three men in “love” with Bianca conspire with a man, Petruchio, who only wishes to marry someone of wealth no matter the temperament, that he should win Katherine’s, or do whatever is necessary to do so, to clear the path for them to woo Bianca. That Petruchio will Tame the Shrew.

Not being familiar with the original version by Shakespeare I’m not sure how close it stuck to Shakespeare’s formula. The play was definitely spoken in Shakespearean language and comparing it with the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, loosely based on the original, I’m sure it came pretty close. At first I have to admit understanding what the actors were saying was a bit difficult but after some hard concentration I started to get the flow of the conversations. Being up close and being able to see the facial expressions of the actors also really helped.

I’m not sure I totally agree with, let alone like, the ending of the play with Katherine eventually totally subjugating herself to Petruchio’s commands and wishes after some interesting techniques by Petruchio to tame her obstinate and shrew-like behaviour. However, it was tempered in part with Petruchio seemingly falling in love with Katherine such that you may believe that he too, should Katherine wish it, would subjugate himself to her wishes. So even though the main message appeared to be man’s dominance over woman the message was not as strong as it could have been.

Overall it was a fun evening out. The play was entertaining and had quite a few laughs for the attentive audience. Watch out also for the rather “explosive” ending.