Shakespeare never put his most violent scenes on the stage because he felt peoples imaginations could do a much better job creating the carnage than he could.
The same, apparently, goes for the sex scenes.
Lois Anderson and John Murphy are convinced that as soon as their characters Kate and Petruchio leave the stage at the end of Bard on the Beachs Taming of the Shrew, they are going to have sex. Passionate, physical, no-holds-barred sex.
It will go on all night and for the rest of their lives, says Anderson, aka The Shrew. I want, she adds, people to leave the theatre saying I want a relationship like theirs sexy, hot, intelligent.
Instead of seeing Shakespeares tale as the subjugation of a strong-willed woman, they both view the relationship between Kate and Petruchio as one of liberation. By finding the one person to whom they can freely give of themselves, they are free to be who they truly are, trusting that the other will take care of them.
The terms duty and obedience come up in the latter half of the play, says Murphy, a 17-year veteran of Vancouvers annual Shakespeare festival. But once Kate is tamed, quote unquote, they become an unstoppable team. He backs her up, she backs him up. They are two outsiders who have found each other. Being an outsider has not worked for Kate. He thrives at being an outsider. One of the things he teaches her is how to be an outsider but win. Theres glory in uniqueness and standing out and having a truth thats all your own. People think its terrible that Petruchio marries a shrew; he says no, youre wrong.
If you open your heart and give yourself to someone completely, that allows them to give themselves to you at the end.
Anderson agrees. Taming of the Shrew is described most often as a comedy, and while it can be funny, she sees it essentially as a love story.
In the beginning, Kates labelled as a shrew. Shes loud and offensive and fighting all the time. Kate speaks the truth and her directness gets her in trouble. Shes not connected to the person society wants her to be. This is a woman who wants her equal.
This production is set in the 1800s. Born into a time when women are supposed to be sweet and docile and talented only in sewing, smiling and speaking Latin, most men are scared by Kates strength which, instead of being seen as a good thing, earns her the sobriquet of shrew.
As a result, her heart is closed up and shes trapped. Then Petruchio arrives on the scene. A land-rich but wallet-poor lord, hes heard she comes with a hefty dowry and wants to marry her for her money.
Theres an instant chemistry between them, Murphy says. When she walks into the room, thats it. It isnt the money anymore.
Today a psychologist (or romance novel reader) would have fun with how that chemistry, with its sexual undertones, gets subverted into a different type of physicality Kate and Petruchio fight, and Anderson has the cuts and bruises to prove how down and dirty it gets. Theres hot shit, Murphy says succinctly.
Wanting Kate to recognize the beautiful, proud, strong woman she is, Petruchio is constantly describing her in the ways he wants her to see herself. Some critics of the play see it as mockery. Murphy says, Petruchio says nothing but the kindest things to her until she starts to believe it. Whatever he makes her go through, he goes through. If anyone knows a better ways to tame a shrew, speak now, Petruchio says. Murphy translates this to mean Do you think I want to go through this? Im doing it for her.
Petruchio holds up a mirror to her and shows her that she is beautiful and that theres more to her, Anderson says. As opposed to a shrew being tamed, its a woman who is freed from being trapped. He wants her to become the best she can be.
He bows to her as well, Murphy says. Its so beautiful that he bows to her as what shes become.
Taming of the Shrew opens the new Bard on the Beach main stage season on May 31. Starting on June 13, it will run in tandem with Macbeth, which Murphy describes as spooky as shit. Its terrifying.
On the Studio Stage will be the frolicking comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, set in 1960s Windsor, Ontario, and King John, where a usurping king, his innocent young nephew, a heroic bastard and a passionate mother all vie for our sympathies in a high-stakes game where the winner takes crown and kingdom.
Ticket prices range from $21 to $40, with a $145 four-pack.
For those people who say theyd never go to see a Shakespearian play because theyre afraid they wont be able to understand the old English, Murphy says I guarantee they will understand every word I say and if they dont, Ill pay for their ticket. Its all about making it contemporary. Theyre just words sometimes put in a different order with a few thees and thous thrown in.
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By Martha Perkins
