“Richly enjoyable… It’s a lot of fun, and the cast relishes the pace and verve of [Lynne] Parker’s lucid staging” Irish Times
“A wonderful evening… great clarity… great fun… You will not see a better production of the play than this” The View, RTÉ
“This is a hugely entertaining and vivid production that doesn’t shy away from its more unsettling themes. A must-see” Sunday Business Post
“The Taming of the Shrew is a wonderful comedy; but at the hands of director Lynne Parker it's an extremely dark one, full of subversion, bullying and greed… Revisionism and deconstruction can often be disastrously damaging to a play; in this case, it is inspired. The production comes close to being faultless” Sunday Independent
“A vibrant and funny production… Owen Roe’s Petruchio is a swaggering, Shakespearian Tony Soprano” Village Magazine
“Shakespeare’s early comedy has seen countless adaptations, but Rough Magic’s colourful production set in 1970s rural Ireland may well be one of the most inspired… a comic gem from start to finish” Metro AM
“A very enjoyable piece of fast comedy performed with great skill by a large cast… Owen Roe’s Petruchio is a crafty combination of sadism and farcical humour, while Barry McGovern’s Baptista, conscious of the value of every penny, is a real pleasure to watch” Daily Mail
“I loved it, I really loved it… I couldn’t praise it more… Pauline McLynn has a traffic facility with the language” The View, RTÉ
“An evening of entertainment to please most audiences” rte.ie
“Owen Roe [is] spectacularly magnificent as Petruchio… Pauline McLynn is louche, dispirited and miserable as Katherine, her misery traded for a calculated prosperity in marriage… There are no weak performances in this ensemble but Malcolm Adams as Grumio and Rory Keenan as Tranio stand out in particular… Monica Frawley's set and costume designs are superlative” Sunday Independent
“The power imbalances, slyly bawdy humour and grasping, greedy motivations that fuel the fiery romance between Petruchio (Owen Roe) and Katherina (Pauline McLynn) will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with John B Keane’s work. Roe, Barry McGovern, Malcolm Adams and Simone Kirby thrive on the cultural juxtapositions” Sunday Times
Posted on: 13/3/2006