Reinterpretation of Taming of the Shrew is obedient to spirit of Shakespeare

TAMING is the operative word in The Taming of the Shrew, a play about the arranged marriage of Petruchio and Katherine. The original is set in Padua, a powerful city-state in Renaissance Italy. Petruchio lays it out baldly to his betrothed: “For I am born to tame you, Kate, and bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate conformable as other household Kates.”

The comedy is one of William Shakespeare’s most controversial works. It will be staged in a 10-day outdoor production, with an all-female cast, starting this Friday, as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival. It marks a return to the city’s Castle Yard for the Globe Theatre, following the company’s triumphant visit with As You Like It last year. The company has upped the ante. The director is the precocious Joe Murphy.