TWO well-loved Shakespeare comedies make their way out to sea for performances at Southend’s Pier Cultural Centre this weekend.

In what has been dubbed the ShakesPIER Festival, the Southend Shakespeare Company will perform their summer production of the Merry Wives of Windsor while touring company MadCap Productions put on the Taming of the Shrew.

Southend Shakespeare’s touring summer productions have become something of an institution, with the groups performing at various outdoor venues.

The Merry Wives of Windsor and its storyline, involving a lusty knight, a jealous husband and two vivacious wives, is transplanted into the Fifites.

MadCap Productions will tackle the Taming of the Shrew, which follows the fortunes of two very different sisters, Bianca, who is desperate to marry one of her many suitors, and her older sister, Katherina.

Although it is a comedy, modern productions are faced with the challenge of the central relationship between Petruchio and Katherina, who bullies the initially outspoken Katherina into meek, wifely submission.

But MadCap member Emma Leigh says the key is in the humour and affection and the company has taken a unique line on the relationship.

She says: “For me, I feel too many productions recently have lost the humour of the relationship between Katherina and Petruchio and have focused on the misogyny, repression and in some cases physical abuse. “We ultimately wanted to rectify that, as while Petruchio comes across as a bully, modern audiences rarely realise Katherina always gives as good as she gets, and they actually leave the play as equals, albeit accepting different roles.”

The Merry Wives of Windsor is performed on Friday, July 12, at 7.45pm. Tickets are £10, £8 for concessions and £28 for family tickets. The Taming of the Shrew is on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are £12.50. Both productions take place at the Pier Cultural Centre, Southend Pier.

For tickets and more details, call 01702 618747.