Madam, – We read with great interest Fintan O'Toole's article on Shakespeare performed in an Irish context (April 11th). However, we were surprised that, given the thesis of his piece, Mr O'Toole did not make reference to Rough Magic's production of The Taming of the Shrew, which had a significant impact on Irish audiences, winning awards, excellent critical response and playing to capacity houses around the country.
This production answered the very question raised in the article, namely that it is possible to perform Shakespeare in an Irish idiom. The result was a rich and satisfying panorama, which made full use of the strong acting ensemble and allowed for characterisation that connected forcefully with the audience. The treatment was certainly influenced by poetic writers such as Synge, and we were able to play it in a strong rural vernacular without changing a word of the original text. – Yours, etc.,