Some productions of Shakespeare's comedy about the taming of a spirited young woman into happy obedience are an uneasy watch for anyone with even remotely feminist sympathies. Terry Hands's interpretation is quite the opposite, with an approach that posits feisty Katherina (Hedydd Dylan) as just one of many characters adopting a persona – hers is the ridiculously good wife – in the game of securing a spouse.
It's rather a post-feminist interpretation, with a young woman playing with roles from rebellious "shrew" to the angel in the house. Is this any worse, the production asks, than her universally preferred sister Bianca playing suitors off against each other and going along with layers of duplicity?
One more thing takes the pressure off Katherina's transformation here: she more than meets her match in Stephen Meo's spectacularly boozed-up Petruccio, a man who also holds the game of marriage in contempt. The difference, of course, is that we don't have a word for men who behave badly.
So this is an intelligent, very funny production that feels both modern and true to the complexities that allured Shakespeare to the story, played by a terrific ensemble cast. It's also mesmerisingly beautiful, with everything in a rich, timeless Mediterranean palette. That timelessness reminds us that things haven't changed so much: the dream of the perfect wedding is something women still swoon over and rebel against in equal measure. At least here, as Katherina and Petruccio kiss and laugh in identical costumes, you sense a marriage of equals.
Elisabeth Mahoney
Until 4 June. Box office: 0845 330 3565.
• This article was amended on 23 May 2011. The original referred to a rich, timeless Mediterranean palate. This has been corrected.
