When SCHOOLTOURS comes to town…
When the Vienna English Theatre Company comes to town, our 7th and 8th graders are always happy to enjoy watching their wonderful Schooltours performances. This year’s Pretty Shrewd – a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy Taming of the Shrew – was a real highlight!
The play is set in Pete’s Café that the protagonist runs with his younger sister Bianca. However, together with his mate Luke, Pete dreams of winning a folk music competition in Birmingham. Yet, when he finds out that Luke and Bianca are in love and have been seeing each other secretly for some time, he angrily breaks with them, thereby ruining his own chances to win the contest. It is Bianca’s friend Kate, a self-confident and emancipated young woman, who eventually accompanies him to Birmingham, but not without a plan. In an effort to convince him that Bianca and Luke have every right to be in love without Pete’s permission, she tries to “tame” the stubborn and controlling Pete and eventually teaches him an important lesson.
Pretty Shrewd is a fresh interpretation of the age-old power struggle between men and women – in reversed roles. The performance was truly excellent, with four young actors whose energetic appeal was really inspiring, not least because of their splendid singing and musical performance. In summary, a wonderful theatre experience for our students, who probably can’t wait to welcome Schooltours again next year!
