I’m dipping my toe into some controversy with today’s 30 Days of Shakespeare pick, but hear me out!
There are plenty of people who think The Taming of the Shrew is among those plays that just should not be performed anymore, and I completely see their point. It is SO toxic. But how productions deal with that toxicity always intrigues me.
I have to admit that I often feel bored when I walk into a theatre for yet another Romeo and Juliet or yet another Julius Caesar. Yes, they are great plays, but there is only so much to can do to them to differentiate them from what has gone before. Whereas every time I see a Shrew I am excited to see how they are going to deal with this landmine of a play. Are they going to do the "love at first sight" sting? Are they going to make the sun/moon scene a joke or abusive? Is Kate going to be in on the bet at the end or will her spirit genuinely have been broken? How is she going to make "I am ashamed that women are so simple" work? There are so many different directions it can go in and that potential to see something different this time excites me.
You’re never going to be able to “fix” The Taming of the Shrew, but you can explore a lot of interesting stuff while playing around with its brokenness.
