Pretty Shrewd - English Theatre

Forestry students in the English theater

“Pretty Shrewd” was performed for the forestry students by four ambitious young actors of the Vienna’s English Theater Schooltours group on the 24^th of February in the Eduard-Schwarz- Haus, a perfect location for about 180 students. 

Clive Duncan’s modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” is an entertaining production showing a young self-confident girl taming a conservative chauvinistic young man.

The first scene shows Pete in his café together with his sister Bianca, Pete’s best friend Luke, and Bianca’s best friend Kate. Pete and Luke, two amateur musicians, want to take part in a folk fest competition to express their music passion and to win 1000 Euros. However, their plans are destroyed when Pete, an overprotective and very strict older brother, finds out that Luke and Bianca are having a secret affair. Pete, after having thrown Luke out of his café in anger, is left alone with Kate. She wants to help her friend Bianca and creates a plan to make Pete understand his mistakes. She offers to sing with him at the folk competition that very night. She intends to beat him by using his own weapons against him. When driving to the folk fest, she teases him, makes him feel uncomfortable, and finally surprises him. After winning the semi-final, she lets him relax but then smashes him flat so that he understands this lesson of prudish behavior well. The plan may have worked, but it didn’t exactly have the desired effect.

In the end, she has tamed Pete, who regrets his attitude towards Bianca and his friend Luke. He apologizes and admits officially to have fallen in love with Kate, who herself is finally happy and in love with Pete, too.

It has been one of the most amusing school plays we have seen in recent years. Thanks to the professional and ambitious young actors, the play has made our visit a highlight of the school year. The actors are also talented musicians and know how to engage the audience.

Bild u. Text: SIE