The Year of the Shrew, Part One: Pastime Passing Excellent
When I first heard that SF Shakes was doing Taming of the Shrew, I wondered how anyone could take on this play now, here in San Francisco. Rebecca Ennals makes a strong case for looking beneath the surface anti-feminism and fighting. I can’t wait to see the performance.
Tim Kniffin (Petruccio) and Carla Pantoja (Katherina) in SF Shakes’ upcoming production of The Taming of the Shrew.
Next week, we go into rehearsal for The Taming of the Shrew, and the season we’re calling The Year of the Shrew kicks into high gear. From the moment when we decided to produce this controversial comedy, I have immersed myself in research of past productions, arguments for and against the play, and my own concerns about how to present it. With this production, I want to reclaim the word “Shrew” and tackle the issues of female dis-empowerment in the play head-on. I hope to find in Katherina a damaged proto-feminist, and in Petruccio a reformed misogynist turned male ally – two prickly outsiders finding their way to each other in a culture full of gender-based expectations. And, of course, I want it to be very, very funny. All this…
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