The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare's mischievous comedy

The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most performed plays. Its theme is still topical today, with its themes of patriarchal domination in the relationship between the two main characters, Katherina and Petruchio. It's been produced in all theatrical forms, from opera to ballet and musical, and it was famously set to the silver screen by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. So you'll always find it easy to buy or sell The Taming of the Shrew tickets on StubHub.

Having to fight for its place in the theatre

The Taming of the Shrew faced stiff competition when Shakespeare first started performing it. It was only his second play, having been published at roughly the same time as his first, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It was immediately adapted into at least two other versions, one of which, Catharine and Petruchio by David Garrick, was the more popular for a long while in the beginning. And by beginning, we mean the first 250 years or so! It was only when The Taming of the Shrew (or The Shrew, as it was known at the time), was revived at Sadler's Wells in 1856 that Shakespeare's original began to become accepted as the definitive version. Since then, it has become a regular production all across the world, with as many different interpretations as there are directors with outlandish imaginations. Beyond one of Shakespeare's most incisive comedies, you're never exactly sure what you're going to get with The Taming of the Shrew tickets, which makes every new production a fresh adventure.

The Taming of the Shrew in ballet and opera

The Taming of the Shrew has also had a long history of ballet and opera productions. It was performed as an opera for the first time in 1780 under the title "Il duca di Atene", and written by a lesser-known Italian composer, Ferdinando Bertoni. Various operatic interpretations have followed, some of them staying true to the original comedic spirit, while others turned the play into a tragic opera. Dutch composer Johan Wagenaar made it the centrepiece of a trilogy of Shakespearian overtures and, being an organist like Bertoni, gave it a score that highlighted the instrument. The first musical version of The Taming of the Shrew was an interesting production in itself: it was a ballad opera called The Cobbler of Preston's Opera, composer unknown, which was performed for the first time by a group of child actors in Dublin. It was turned into a ballet only in 1954 and debuted at the Ballet de l'Opera de Paris. Over the years, many very famous actors have taken the title roles, including John Cleese and Meryl Streep. If you've not yet seen this classic Shakespearian comedy, The Taming of the Shrew tickets will always be available on StubHub when it's staged in any form.