Taming of the Shrew, 1962, Royal Shakespeare Company: Petruchio, Derek Godfrey; Katherina, Vanessa Redgrave.

The Taming Of The Shrew: Director, Roy Daniels; Designer, Alix Stone; Photographer, Tom Holte (ahds.ac.uk/performingarts); Royal Shakespeare Company, April 1962.

"With a lot of the preliminary work already done in setting, revolving stage and costume - not to mention the two chief players - Mr Daniels performs the almost impossible by making this normally sluggish comedy more fast and seem funnier than it really is." Gerard Fey, Guardian 24.4.62. Opening Date: 23 April 1962, Theatre: Royal Shakespeare Theatre

This very popular play is usually undervalued by critics and actors who often try to please the audience by farcical effects, rather than dealing with the still current issues of women's roles in society. It anticipates Shaw's Pygmalion. HMR