Productions Flashcards
Gregory Doran 2003
productions showed ‘Kate trying to rescue a madman she genuinely loves’
Phyllida Lloyd 2016
Women only production - to caricature brutality of men enabling actors to ‘ throw the behavior of men into a particular relief, and be playful in a larger that life way.’
Caroline Byrne’s Globe Theatre 2016
-Darkly violent relationship between the protagonists= set against desperate and brutal political backdrop.
-A kneeling, seemingly cowed Katherina - suffered deeply in dark production, pulls Petruchio down to her level at point where he’s about to raise her up.
Elevating gesture is used in the Zeffirelli production to suggest Katherina finally risen - status of a socially acceptable wife.
Byrne’s production, however, message - Petruchio’s cruelty throughout play is unedifying for everyone - merely lowers him morally and literally, leaving them both on their knees.
Kiss Me, Petruchio
1970s Production of Taming of the Shrew in Central Park.
-Meryl Streep and Raul Julia
Meeting scene:
-Very physical - at points tangled together on the floor - highly sexual implications.
-Depicts relationship as a match of two very passionate people coming together - crackling tension between them.
-Puns and wit is flirtatious.
-Paralinguistic humor - both in their physical entanglements but also in the way the look at each other - check each other out.
-Petruchio does physically restrain her at times, his physical strength and dominance - abusive feeling.
-Petruchio is very confident in his actions and almost runs rings about Katherine but there is a sense of mutual enjoyment.
The Globe 2012 - Act 1 scene 1
Kate:
-Lots of paralinguistic humor, men obviously frightened of her, hide behind one and other when they insult her.
-Very aggressive, charges at them, slap-stick - audience delights in her rage upon the two suitors.
-Break fourth wall to mock Bianca.
Bianca:
-Very submissive and mild, extremely soft spoken.
-Definite sense it is performative, bows to Baptista at one point.
-‘Sister, content you in my discontent’ - scapegoats Katherine to make her look worse.
Baptista:
-Obvious favoritism to Bianca, kisses her hands at one point, stays much closer to her on the stage - goes nowhere near Bianca.
-All his lines to Bianca - soft and caring.
-Shuts Kate out of the door to commune with Bianca, audience feels sorry for Kate - cruelty.
-Creates slap-stick when Kate runs at the door and kicks it down.
The Globe - Kate and Petruchio Meet pt 1
-Petruchio begins by confidently rehearsing his taming techniques - the Day’s (the actors) plays with the confidence by making Petruchio unable to deliver after confidently saying ‘Speak Petruchio’ - capturing the comedy of this scene for a modern audience.
-Allows audience views him in a more benign way.
-When trying to make up for calling her ‘Plain Kate’ he launches into speech and lands of ‘super-dainty Kate’ - doing a weird little dance - much laughter from audience - seems goofy and benign.
-kneels on all fours when he says come sit on me - makes him look animalistic and foolish.
-Wiggles his hips in a sexual way when he says ‘for knowing thee to be but young and light’.
The Globe - Kate and Petruchio Meet pt 2
At ‘will you, nill you, I will marry you’
Petruchio (Played by Simon Day) pushed Kathrine over and holds her down
-The audience - very quiet in this scene - not comical.
-Petruchio in this part physically restrains her - terrifying to a modern audience.
-Kate looks scared and far more submissive than she has been before - does not feel romantic.
Kiss Me, Petruchio - End seen
-Meryl interprets the relationship as a true passionate love, by which Kate admits he is her everything by the end, and sees this not as confession of submission, but as confession of love.
-When she says ‘In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease.’ - she places her hand in front of his foot.
-However, instead of placing his foot on her hand, he then kneels to her level and kisses her hand - showing a marriage of equals not one of submission.
