CEDAR CITY, UT — Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is a complicated and often problematic play, particularly in its treatment of gender. It’s all too easy for a production to come across as sexist or misogynistic, given that those elements are embedded in the text. However, depending on the approach, the play can also become a sharp and effective satire.
One of the most powerful tools for shaping that interpretation is the framing device Shakespeare wrote around the story, known as the “Induction.” This section—rarely performed today because of the additional time it adds—sets up the play as a play-within-a-play, granting directors greater creative freedom in their staging choices. It also invites the audience to suspend disbelief for the duration of the performance.
The Induction’s premise is simple but effective: the owners of an inn attempt to distract an aggressive drunk named Christopher Sly by enlisting a troupe of traveling actors to perform a play about another person in need of reform—Kate. This year, at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Directed by Valerie Rachelle, you can see the full production, which is important to understand the satire in The Taming of the Shrew. This is an over-the-top and eccentric adaptation, which one audience member described as “the most campy Taming of the Shrew I have ever seen.” However, it is also filled with heartfelt moments.
The plot centers on Petruchio, a fortune-seeker who marries the fiery Kate for her dowry and then sets out to “tame” her. While the premise can be difficult to navigate by contemporary standards, Rachelle’s direction offered creative and insightful solutions that reframed the story as a more equitable and truthful battle of the sexes.
A lively dance number signals the start of the play-within-a-play, ushering in an over-the-top, carnival-like atmosphere. Actors appear in bright, jester-inspired costumes against pink and yellow Dr. Seuss–like backdrops, framed by a whimsical faux proscenium arch. With the departure from the Induction, reality slips away—something Rachelle makes clear through the fantastical transformation of both characters and stage. This shift grants the production license to explore more exaggerated and imaginative behaviors.
Caitlin Wise portrays Kate and is electrifying. She embodies the energy of a toddler, and at other times, she is somewhat reminiscent of a cat attacking a mouse, hissing at those around her. Her red-and-orange dress matches her fiery spirit. Wise’s performance makes it clear that Kate’s transformation is necessary.
John DiAntonio’s Petruchio brings confidence and humor to the stage. Despite his character’s outrageous antics, it is hard not to like DiAntonio’s Petruchio because of his onstage charisma. The chemistry between Wise and DiAntonio is palpable, which makes a lot of sense because they are married. This is meant to be a physical show, and DiAntonio and Wise fully commit, with Wise even spitting on DiAntonio at one point in the show, garnering one of the most significant reactions from the audience all night.
Rodney Lizcano (Hortensio) and John Harrell (Gremio) shine as the rival suitors, bringing energetic comedy to their roles. Lizcano’s expressive face and hilarious “music lesson” scene with Bianca (played by Valerie Martire) were highlights of the evening. Martire’s Bianca, traditionally an innocent beauty, is reimagined as a trickster who has learned how to get her way, adding another layer of meaning to her character development. Her hair was hilarious.
Chris Mixon delivers a standout performance as Baptista, Kate and Bianca’s father. Mixon’s facial expressions and flawless delivery of lines turn even the simplest one-liners into comedic gold. Blake Henri is hilarious as Grumio as he gallops down the aisle to the stage with his master, Petruchio (DiAntonio), clapping coconut shells together in a Monty Python manner.
The Music Design by Lindsay Jones enhances the unusual Dr.Seuss world, with carnival music and sound effects, and K.L. Alberts’ bright and imaginative costume designs bring Rachelle’s vision to life. Alberts’ use of neon colors, black-and-white checks, and stripes created a clownish atmosphere fitting of commedia dell’arte style that complemented the production’s playful tone. The costumes also cleverly link characters through color, subtly reinforcing their relationships.
Rachelle’s direction brought a fresh perspective to the play’s conclusion. Instead of just ending with Kate’s controversial speech, the production added a poignant scene where Petruchio demonstrates his respect for Kate by kneeling with her when she tries to kneel in front of him and placing a shoe on her foot, in a nod to Cinderella. This act of mutual respect and partnership was echoed by Christopher Sly (Topher Embry), the reformed drunkard from the framing device (play-within-a-play), reinforcing the theme of mutual consideration in relationships. Hopefully, Sly has also learned a thing or two from Kate.
Overall, the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s The Taming of the Shrew is a vibrant, over-the-top, and highly physical comedy that connects with a wide range of audiences. Its inventive direction and standout performances make for an entertaining evening, though the material may be triggering for survivors of domestic abuse. After all, the play wrestles with problematic, outdated gender roles—reframed here for contemporary sensibilities. In Shakespeare’s time, the work would have been performed entirely by men, a fact that casts the text in a markedly different tone and context than modern productions.
Further, I like to remind audiences that Shakespeare was writing for his own time—and that he often collaborated with other (male) authors on many of his plays. Collaboration does not necessarily mean agreement with every idea expressed. As Farah Karim-Cooper, Professor of Shakespeare at King’s College London and Director of Education at Shakespeare’s Globe, observes:
“Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I like to imagine that Shakespeare himself saw these ideas as problematic even then. Why else would he stage them other than to be provocative, political, and at times, critical of his own moment?” (p. 247)
Staging Shakespeare’s more complex works, such as The Taming of the Shrew, comes with a responsibility to engage thoughtfully with their challenges. The Utah Shakespeare Festival meets that challenge by presenting the complete play while adapting it for contemporary audiences.
The Taming of the Shrew runs at the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Southern Utah University on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM through September 7. Tickets range from $15 to $85. For more information, visit www.bard.org.
Tickets: $15 to $85.
Venue: 200 Shakespeare Ln, Cedar City, UT 84720
Sponsored by Jeremy and Amy Hanks Foundation
Address: 101-199 W University Blvd, Cedar City, UT 84720
Dates: Select dates until September 6, 2024, at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Tickets: $15 to $85
Contact: 435-586-7878 or 1-800-PLAYTIX https://www.bard.org/
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Content Advisory
Shakespeare’s most often performed play at the Festival, with Kate’s character being one of his most memorable women, contains sexual puns, innuendo, and themes of domestic abuse and misogyny but is suitable for most audiences.
Sources
Karim-Cooper, F. (2023). The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking about Race (1st ed.). Penguin Publishing Group.
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