The Taming of the Shrew

A rich Paduan merchant has two daughters—the gentle, lovable Bianca, and the razor-tongued Katharina. And though Bianca has several suitors, she may not marry until the elder Kate has found a husband. When the boorish Petruchio announces his willingness to marry any woman with a large enough dowry, Bianca’s dilemma seems to be solved. But is it possible Petruchio has met his match in the wild Kate? In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare casts the battle of the sexes as a boisterous farce, and the result is a noisy, politically incorrect, irresistibly funny romp! Andrei Serban, who created some of the highlights of the A.R.T.’s first decade—including The King Stag, Sganarelle, Three Sisters, Twelfth Night,and The Good Woman of Setzuan—returns to direct after an eight-year absence.

SYNOPSIS

Christopher Sly, a drunken tinker, is thrown out of an inn and falls asleep in the gutter. A passing nobleman finds him and, deciding to play a trick on him, takes him home, dresses him in rich clothes, and engages a troupe of actors to perform a play for him.

The play tells of Baptista Minola, a wealthy merchant of Padua, and his two daughters, the shrewish Katherina and her younger sister Bianca. Much to the frustration of Bianca and her many suitors, Baptista has decreed that she may not marry until a husband is found for Katherina.

Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, arrives in Padua and, hearing of Katherina and her considerable dowery, resolves to marry her, whether she wants him or not. Baptista gladly consents, and Petruchio and his new bride set out for home.

With Katherina gone, her sisters’s suitors battle for Bianca’s affections. After a complex series of disguises and impersonations, Lucentio, a citizen of Pisa, wins the day.

Meanwhile Petruchio has decided to tame the wild-tempered Katherina. He deprives her of sleep, food and clothing, forcing her to obey him and acknowledge his authority before he will allow her to return to her native Padua for her sister’s wedding.

The play over, Sly cannot decide whether he has been dreaming or awake. Announcing that he, too, now knows how to tame his wife, he stumbles out of the castle and heads for home.