'The Taming of the Shrew' comes to life on screen in David Richard's and Sally Wainwright's episode of BBC Shakespeare-Told. As a series which received glowing praise, I expected much more than I received. Perhaps it is the very nature of the play that makes it so hard to create an appealing adaption. I highly doubt any version of female suppression and misogyny would be very entertaining for me, no matter who took part in it or what the plot was. While the play is supposed to make us question our assumptions about 'proper' gender roles and our opinions regarding power struggles in relationships, I cannot quite move past the blatant element of sexism so intrinsic to the basic storyline of both Shakespeare's play and Richard's adaption. Overall the adaption lacked believability and made for some pretty uncomfortable viewing.
However, to each dark gloomy cloud, there is a silver lining. In the case of Richard and Wainwright's work, the casting does its best to make this adaption bearable for a modern audience. Shirley Henderson's portrayal of Katherine Minola is on the money in terms of faithfulness to the play. The Katherine of Shakespeare's play is quite the character. She berates her father publicly, ties up and beats her sister, breaks musical instruments over people's heads and is innately rude and bad tempered. Shirley Henderson manages to capture the essence of Shakespeare's Kate expertly. Our first encounter with Henderson's Katherine Minola is like something out of a cartoon. As she barrels through Westminster like a scalded cat with people turning on their heel to get out of her war path, she is every bit the villain she is made out to be in the play. Her interchange with poor David Mitchel, while bizarre to watch perfectly encapsulates everything that Katherine Minola is believed to be: a shrew.
However, while I do admire how well Henderson plays up the childish temper tantrum qualities of Katherine's personality, it is something that I cannot quite reconcile with her identity as a public figure. It simply does not mesh. A person in the public eye could not behave the way she does and still be seen as a credible leader. The damage to one's reputation if they broke a guitar over a stranger's head would be irreparable in real life. Her tempestuous behaviour does not translate to her job as a politician. It is not believable. On the other hand, Rufus Sewell gives a far more plausible performance as Petruchio. To his credit, he received a BAFTA Nomination for his role and it is easy to see why. He is a very charismatic in his role and is more than able to go toe to toe with the Shirley Henderson. He holds his own throughout and captures the immaturity that Shakespeare's Petruchio displays. Sewell shrewdly portrays the selfish nature of Petruchio while at the same time, for instance, he makes his decision to do a selfless thing like become a stay at home father so that Katherine can continue her political career a sincere act.
In terms of faithfulness to the original play, there are aspects that I both like and dislike. Shakespeare's original work was a comedy, and this adaption is no different. The witty banter between Katherine and Petruchio remains. The elevator scene after Bianca's party is hilarious as Petruchio meeting Katherine for the first time shouts 'kiss me Kate' to which she vehemently replies 'up yours weirdo'. The scene in the park is also full of humour with Petruchio being hit with a bike and a football while Katherine questions his motives asking 'Are you stalking me?' to which he says 'No, but I'd like to'. There are some great one liners throughout including Petruchio's declaration that 'I want you (Kate) to have all my babies' as well as Katherine's mother (Twiggy Lawson) admission 'you don't shop around the corner, do you?'.
More negatively, the subplot between Bianca and Lucentio was reduced to an afterthought. If they had been removed from the film it would not have made much difference as they were almost non-existent as it is. Similarly, so is my critique of it.
Regarding the infamous moment at the end of the play when Katherine makes her speech declaring her obedience to her new husband, I admired that the BBC retelling just as open to interpretation. Are we to believe Katherine? While Henderson gives off a cold, defeatist attitude, the speech is full of contradictions. She claims her husband is her 'Lord and Boss' yet she commands him to stay at home with their children so she can continue to work. It is just as ambiguous as the play's ending and we cannot be quite sure if Katherine has been tamed.
Overall, the adaption is just as galling as the play. While Henderson makes a good Katherine, there is an irreconcilable flaw to her behaviour with her role as a politician. Bianca and Lucentio do not serve the plot particularly well. Petruchio's abuse is given a humorous overtone as he slashes Kate's tires and throws her clothes in the pool, but at the end of the day is still incredulous. Alas, there is something fundamentally wrong with a woman being forced into marriage to further her aspirations, and it makes for painful viewing.
However, to each dark gloomy cloud, there is a silver lining. In the case of Richard and Wainwright's work, the casting does its best to make this adaption bearable for a modern audience. Shirley Henderson's portrayal of Katherine Minola is on the money in terms of faithfulness to the play. The Katherine of Shakespeare's play is quite the character. She berates her father publicly, ties up and beats her sister, breaks musical instruments over people's heads and is innately rude and bad tempered. Shirley Henderson manages to capture the essence of Shakespeare's Kate expertly. Our first encounter with Henderson's Katherine Minola is like something out of a cartoon. As she barrels through Westminster like a scalded cat with people turning on their heel to get out of her war path, she is every bit the villain she is made out to be in the play. Her interchange with poor David Mitchel, while bizarre to watch perfectly encapsulates everything that Katherine Minola is believed to be: a shrew.
However, while I do admire how well Henderson plays up the childish temper tantrum qualities of Katherine's personality, it is something that I cannot quite reconcile with her identity as a public figure. It simply does not mesh. A person in the public eye could not behave the way she does and still be seen as a credible leader. The damage to one's reputation if they broke a guitar over a stranger's head would be irreparable in real life. Her tempestuous behaviour does not translate to her job as a politician. It is not believable. On the other hand, Rufus Sewell gives a far more plausible performance as Petruchio. To his credit, he received a BAFTA Nomination for his role and it is easy to see why. He is a very charismatic in his role and is more than able to go toe to toe with the Shirley Henderson. He holds his own throughout and captures the immaturity that Shakespeare's Petruchio displays. Sewell shrewdly portrays the selfish nature of Petruchio while at the same time, for instance, he makes his decision to do a selfless thing like become a stay at home father so that Katherine can continue her political career a sincere act.
In terms of faithfulness to the original play, there are aspects that I both like and dislike. Shakespeare's original work was a comedy, and this adaption is no different. The witty banter between Katherine and Petruchio remains. The elevator scene after Bianca's party is hilarious as Petruchio meeting Katherine for the first time shouts 'kiss me Kate' to which she vehemently replies 'up yours weirdo'. The scene in the park is also full of humour with Petruchio being hit with a bike and a football while Katherine questions his motives asking 'Are you stalking me?' to which he says 'No, but I'd like to'. There are some great one liners throughout including Petruchio's declaration that 'I want you (Kate) to have all my babies' as well as Katherine's mother (Twiggy Lawson) admission 'you don't shop around the corner, do you?'.
More negatively, the subplot between Bianca and Lucentio was reduced to an afterthought. If they had been removed from the film it would not have made much difference as they were almost non-existent as it is. Similarly, so is my critique of it.
Regarding the infamous moment at the end of the play when Katherine makes her speech declaring her obedience to her new husband, I admired that the BBC retelling just as open to interpretation. Are we to believe Katherine? While Henderson gives off a cold, defeatist attitude, the speech is full of contradictions. She claims her husband is her 'Lord and Boss' yet she commands him to stay at home with their children so she can continue to work. It is just as ambiguous as the play's ending and we cannot be quite sure if Katherine has been tamed.
Overall, the adaption is just as galling as the play. While Henderson makes a good Katherine, there is an irreconcilable flaw to her behaviour with her role as a politician. Bianca and Lucentio do not serve the plot particularly well. Petruchio's abuse is given a humorous overtone as he slashes Kate's tires and throws her clothes in the pool, but at the end of the day is still incredulous. Alas, there is something fundamentally wrong with a woman being forced into marriage to further her aspirations, and it makes for painful viewing.