The title is not being coy. Gillian English really does hate Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, and she’s about to tell you why. If you don’t like a woman being loud about what is wrong about these ancient and modern stories we continue to tell, this show may not be for you, as the middle-aged pākehā man found out on opening night and promptly left, not before giving English a chilling staredown. This does not even phase English, who carries on with her stand-up style show, even making jokes about him throughout. (Later, when she shows us how to literally rip a dick off, she says, “That guy who left.”)

The show is bare with only a small stool holding a much needed litre of water for English and a book of notes which has lyrics and a monologue from Taming of the Shrew written in them. English comes on wearing a dress and a black glittery cape which she then promptly removes. She wants to wear it, she explains, but it’s too heavy. This is very much reflective of her show in the sense that the realities of the subject matter are too heavy for them to be jazzed up in any superficial show fashion, hence the bare stage and simple lighting state.  

She begins by giving a recap of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew pointing out the ridiculous Italian names, the Stockholm syndrome that befalls our heroine Katherine (or Katarina depending on which Folio you follow), and how the men ultimately control the story and the lives of these women, no matter how much they rail against it. She then moves on to discussing the ten things she hates most about this play and she goes after Shakespeare himself, the concept of “cruel to be kind”, pitting women against women, and how teenagers are stupid.

Each of these ten things she brings into the context of herself and her own life, giving us a framing narrative to contextualise her statements. As the show goes on, we learn a lot about English, and her self-deprecating humour allows the audience to feel comfortable in the space (and makes me want to low-key be her friend).

My only issue, which English is also very aware of, is her timing for each of the ten things is a bit off for opening night. She has to cram-finish the show, which is a real disappointment to me because I want her to give the same depth to each of the ten things as she has with the first four. This only makes me incredibly tempted to watch the show again.

10 Things I Hate About Taming of the Shrew is loud, fresh, funny and honest. I recommend this show to movie buffs, Shakespeare fans, men (buckle in), anyone in the storytelling business and anyone who wants to see our world become more equal. I applaud English and her medieval dance moves: continue to be loud and unapologetic (and be my friend, maybe?).

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