Fifty Shades of Shrew

I was very impressed with this production. The captured the flavor of Shakespeare while giving it their own twist. For the small space they had, they made each scene come to life. The actors had a great command of the language, making it easy for Shakespeare fans and non-fans to follow the plot. The costumes were stars in themselves, each had great attention to detail, and just looked damn good. Though all the actors brought their game to the show, the two who played Pertruchio and Katherine stood a slight inch above the rest. The actor playing Tranio was also a pleasure to watch, bringing a style to the character that was all her own. My only negative comment is that I wish there had been a little bit more BDSM in the show. Yes, there... full review

Very enjoyable night of Shakespeare! Well-directed and expertly acted. The original text is cut to 90 minutes, and yet I didn't feel like anything was missing at all. The all-female cast and BDSM touches were a nice twist. Fun!... full review

Want your BDSM and your Shakespeare friends to become friends of each other and to have a delightful time in the process? Take them to Fifty Shades of Shrew, a show that has something for everyone. With dazzling skill, the women of Broads' Word Theatre show how the universal interplay of dominance and submission in human relationships is illuminated by a BDSM interpretation of The Taming of the Shrew. The production, adhering to Shakespeare's own words, shows that the Bard had a deep insight into dominance and submission. And Broads' Word has the theatrical expertise and imagination to bring the Bard and BDSM together in a way that offer insight to all theatergoers, with a lot of laughs along the way.... full review

Esther Mira as Hortensio was phenomenal!... full review

An exuberant cast of characters! ... full review

This was a fantastic show! The cast was phenomenal and all on point. Although I've never seen "Taming of the Shew," I know the story well, and I can say if I didn't know better, I would imagine this was the way the play was intended to be done. Dawn Alden, Dana DeRuyck, Shana Gregory, and Jen Albert all delivered some truly stand-out performances, being very truthful and committed in their delivery; but this shouldn't imply that any less of the rest, because as I said, a truly strong and talented cast. Great direction, well-produced, and the costumes were fun and playful. A truly inspired production.... full review

The notion of consent in Shrew is an integral part of this show and gives a new perspective. Petruchio and her subs especially have a delightful relationship that gains much from the motif. One scene presents it as humorful when a sub uses the language of the scarves to make clear her not consenting, and a dom (presumably unwittingly) continues the undesirable behavior. Tranio was the only servant not a sub, though she was also not a dom. This rendition of Shrew certainly gives one examples to help analyze just what power relationships inherently imply and what context and consent can modify the morality of power relationships and their potential abuses.... full review

Loved Fifty Shades of Shrew. What a fun, entertaining and great show. Great acting by the entire cast. Bianca was by far my favorite.... full review

"I am ashamed that women are so simple / To offer war where they should kneel for peace, / Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway, / When they are bound to serve, love, and obey." Taming of the Shrew, Act V, Scene 2. William Shakespeare. Possibly one of the most controversial passages in the entire canon to our modern ears; that women are bound to serve, love, and obey their husbands. One passage, as part of a problematic text that is wholly reclaimed and repurposed by Broads' Word Theatre in their BDSM-infused, exploratory production Fifty Shades of Shrew. Take one scan through the audience reviews of this piece (or of any production of The Taming of the Shrew) and you'll find at the very least a handful of viewers who have feared out... full review

This show was fantastic. I will never see Taming of the Shrew the same way again, and that's a good thing! This is the first time I've actually liked Petruchio. The casting was perfect and the performances were out of this world. I would highly recommend any work involving any of these actors, the director and the costume/wardrobe folk in the future. ... full review