During my second undergraduate incarnation I set myself the task of viewing all thirty-seven plays in the First Folio in the course of one academic year. With a bit of travelling and resort to the BBC Shakespeare, I managed it. Now I'm heading for the same destination but by a different route. Of course there are no theatrical productions for me to enjoy in Covidland but there are plenty of other resources. Thus I have re-watched the Jonathan Miller BBC production of Taming of the Shrew. During the course of 2021 I will attempt to call at all thirty-six of the remaining stops and report on the view from the culture train.
I can vaguely recall the controversy at the time of the original production (1980) when it was announced that John Cleese had been cast as Petruchio. Here's the thing - it works. In spades. Cleese brings all the ostensible mania that marked Basil Fawlty but, importantly (and this was missed by many critics), his character is this time in control of his actions. As his Kate, Sarah Badel is brilliant. Sure the sexual politics of this play remain troublesome but by playing the two protagonists as equals Miller makes those politics easier to negotiate. Quite an achievement.
I had not previously taken the time to like this play. I was wrong. I can even accept Miller's decision to ditch the Induction in its entirety. After all screen Shakespeares start with a framing device in the very confines of the image. A good start to my journey.
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