On & Off Broadway

‘Taming of the Shrew’

Review by Elyse Trevers

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In Shakespearean days, men played all the roles in theatrical productions; it was unseemly for women to be onstage. Times have changed and now both sexes appear in plays, so why would a noted director like Phyllida Lloyd mount a production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and cast only women? It didn’t make any sense to me — until I saw the marvelous production of the play at Shakespeare in the Park. With an all-female cast, the misogynist play becomes clever, satirical and insightful.

The play involves Petruchio, who comes to Padua, seeking a wife with a large dowry. Katherine, the eldest of two sisters, is known for her shrewish temper so her father decrees that her lovely younger sister, Bianca, can’t wed until Katherine is married. Bianca’s suitors must find someone to marry Katherine.

Petruchio “wins” Katherine’s hand despite her protests and screams. During their courtship and marriage, he doesn’t respond to Katherine’s outrage, taunts and slaps. Instead he ignores her protests and twists everything around. He deprives her of food, sleep and nice clothing, saying that none of it is good enough for her. Ultimately he breaks her spirit and at Bianca’s wedding proves that Katherine is the most obedient wife of all.


Janet McTeer, who struts and swaggers, plays Petruchio, slightly resembling a long-haired Matthew McConaughey. She is hysterical, especially when she walks in singing Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.” Cush Jumbo (Good Wife) as Katherine spends most of her time sputtering angrily and justifiably so. The two are wonderful, as is the rest of the ensemble.

The play begins with a beauty pageant introduced by an MC who strangely enough sounds like “The Donald.” And the show reminds us that in many ways times have not changed. Later, Katherine, the docile wife, is crowned the pageant winner. By the end of the show, Katherine lies on the floor and says her husband takes care of her and can even step on her. At that point it was obvious why the show works better with a female cast. Although The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s comedies, it really isn’t funny; certainly not to me or any of the other women sitting in the Delacorte Theater. Yet when things are turned topsy-turvy and male ridiculous behavior is exposed by the talented female case, the show is a riot.

One of the funniest bits is when Gremio (played by standup comedian Judy Gold) comes out to deliver a speech but then goes ‘off script.’ Instead “he” riffs about women in general, noting it’s shocking that the play has a woman director and that we will soon have a woman president. Gremio comments on the looks of stewardesses and his ‘hot daughter,” specifically. It isn’t hard to see the political leanings of Lloyd as well as many in the audience.

Was Shakespeare a misogynist himself or did he merely reflect his time? Sadly he still depicts the attitudes of men in many countries today. Although this version of the play provides entertainment for us, holding a mirror up to these attitudes won’t change them. So even as we laugh, we need to think about women worldwide who are still oppressed and whose men are stepping on them.