The Taming Of The Shrew

A BBC Radio Shakespeare production

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Full Cast, Burn Gorman, Gerard McSorley, Jutta Ford, Ruth Mitchell

In this BBC full-cast production of The Taming of the Shrew, the freedom and virility of women is frowned upon. Will Petruchio's quest to 'tame' his new wife succeed?

Layers of assumed identity, elaborate role-playing, and acerbic exchanges of wit reveal the real relationship between men and women in this exuberant production of one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies.

Gerard McSorley stars as Petruchio and Ruth Mitchell as Katherina in Shakespeare's sharply witty comedy.

BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard.

In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

© and (P)2000 BBC Worldwide Ltd

A Face Value Interpretation

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, because this audiobook is unfortunately (in my opinion) a face value reading of the play that omits the opening bit with Sly. The play within a play element is lost, which means the farcical setup is also lost.

I tend to come down on the side of the farcical, ironic or commedia dell'arte interpretations of the play. Given the reception of the play in its own time, the outrageous behavior of the two protagonists, and Shakespeare's approach to female characters in his other works (while not always kind, he never gets anywhere near this ridiculous anywhere else), this play simply doesn't make sense to me when taken at face value.

Play shortened by about 1/2 hour

Should have been called an abridged version. Lots of skipping from the original text. Ugh!

Well Done

Really well done, truly. The BBC did a great job and 2nd to none performance.