30 Days of Shakespeare, Day 11: The Reinterpretation of the Shrew

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.

30 Days of Shakespeare, Day 6: Emma Thompson's Beatrice

‘Nuff said.

There are very few Shakespeare-related opinions that I will completely reject out of hand. Enjoyment of Shakespeare is wonderfully subjective, and if you happen to like or dislike different productions, actors, and interpretations than me, that’s totally fine! Don’t care for Henry IV, part 1? That’s allowed! Enjoyed the Ethan Hawke film of Cymbeline? Wow, I’m glad someone did. You do you! Think it’s ok when productions of The Winter’s Tale don’t actually show the bear? No problem, everyone is entitled to be wrong sometimes!

But if you don’t like Emma Thompson’s Beatrice, it’s all over between us.

30 Days of Shakespeare, Day 3: John Barton's Knit Tie

One of the things I love to do as a Shakespeare geek is seek out behind-the-scenes stories of productions. While I enjoy the finished product that I see onstage, I also very much want to know HOW that product was created. As someone who has never been involved in acting or directing, much of it remained a mystery to me… until I saw today’s 30 Days of Shakespeare pick.

Let me be clear: I very much don’t believe that Shakespeare needs to be “unlocked” for you by some white man in order for you to “properly” understand and appreciate him. Nor do I believe Barton’s style of playing Shakespeare is the only way he should be played. However, the collective experience of this amazing group of actors, crystalized through Barton’s knowledge and insights, legitimately increased my appreciation of Shakespeare’s text and helped me understand a lot about how contemporary actors can bring his words to life.

If you haven’t seen Playing Shakespeare yet, I strongly encourage you to check out the full series on YouTube. The picture quality is rather fuzzy… much like John Barton.