With an omnipresent Christopher Sly, the audience is privy to the drunk tinker’s imagines while watching a company of players perform for him in his state of ‘lordship’.

What we are never quite sure of in this production is how much of the action is meant to be the players performing and how much is the sexual fantasy of a sleeping beggar.

What is obvious though is that the director sees this production as a play about finding your mate more so than one of the suppression of a woman’s bile.

The production is cleverly set in a small Italian village in the 1940s—a society (similar to Shakespeare’s time) where men ruled the roost and women did as they were told.

We see Kate and Petruchio as a screw-ball couple, neither of whom fit in particularly, who are passionately drawn together.

As their relationship develops in a volatile fashion, we realise there is a fine line between hate and love and ultimately love conquers all.

Lisa Dillon plays a believably feisty alcohol-swigging and chain-smoking Katherina, whose relationship to Petruchio is physically and sexually focused.

She realises she has met her match, but still tries to show distain, even to the extent of pee-ing in front of him.

David Caves’ Petruchio seems her perfect match as a lanky but charismatic misfit, whose cruel foreplay gently pushes his shrew to her limits.

In the end her submission leads to an eargerness on both sides to expand their passions between the sheets rather than by fighting each other.

While all of this is going on we are constantly reminded of Sly’s presence (brilliantly played by a fat and grotesque Nick Holder) as he romps around the bed in stained under garments.

Elizabeth Cadwallader also gives a fresh interpretation as a not so goody-goody Bianca, and an interesting musical score (John Eacott) adds to the dramatic effect.

And as the play draws to a close, we realise that this Shrew is a powerful love story between two misunderstood people.