All-female ‘Taming of the Shrew’ set for Shakespeare in the Park 2016 https://t.co/oQDIvpbT8Ypic.twitter.com/Fea9pX4GHI
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 28, 2016
Today may be the happiest day in my theater-loving life.
The Public Theater in New York City has announced their line-up for their annual Shakespeare in the Park at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, and their summer season is opening with an all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew! Even better? The show has a female director in Phyllida Lloyd, who has experience doing all-female Shakespeare productions. According to the Public’s website, “The New York Times called Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female production of Henry IV “a celebration of the metamorphic wonder of live stage acting.””
Starring in this production will be one of my favorite actresses of all time, Janet McTeer (seriously, if you didn’t see her 1997 Tony-winning performance as Nora in A Doll’s House, or the film Tumbleweeds, I feel sorry for you), in the role of Petruchio, and Cush Jumbo (Torchwood: Children of Earth) in the lead role of Katherine.
This is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and it remains forever intriguing to me whenever I see productions of it, particularly because of the interpretation of the ending of the play. Many theater lovers view the ending of The Taming of the Shrew as a hugely sexist one that requires “fixing” in modern productions. As for me, I think that in order to see the ending of that play as sexist, you’d have to already adhere to certain sexist ideas.
Regardless of our individual interpretations, it’ll be exciting to see Lloyd’s production examine the gender dynamics in the play through an all-female cast! The Taming of the Shrew runs at the Delacorte from May 24-June 26. Tickets are free, but are usually highly in demand, so you’ll want to either get in line early, or make sure you’re on top of their online lottery.
Now…to get this L.A. resident on a flight to New York…
(via The Hollywood Reporter, featured image via screengrab)
