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The Eastern Echo Thursday, June 26, 2025 | Print Archive
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Shakespeare gets a makeover in gender-bent “The Taming of the Shrew”

Debuting in 2019 with Karl Sikkenga’s rewrite of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Brevity Shakespeare has made it their mission to bring classic stories to the stage in a way that is more accessible and more reflective of the Ypsilanti community. 

This summer, the group is returning to the stage to perform “The Taming of the Shrew.”

This comedy, originally believed to have been written sometime between 1590-1592, follows two sisters with opposite personalities. One sister is described as sweet and kind, while the other is headstrong and rude. When the first sister expresses her desire for marriage, their father comes up with a compromise — if her rude sister manages to find a suitor, so can she. 

While the play's themes are controversial, it has sparked a handful of modern recreations. Most famously, it influenced Gil Junger’s 1999 film “10 Things I Hate About You.”

Like normal, Brevity Shakespeare will be offering audiences a chance to experience Shakespeare's classics with a shortened runtime and condensed cast. However, one big change has been made in this adaptation — the gender of every character has been reversed. 

“In our version, we’ll be following two boys instead. Like the original, one is a sweetheart, and the other isn’t. It’s the exact same plot, but this time, a woman will be taming a man," said Sikkenga, the founder of Brevity Shakespeare and former Michigan principal. 

With the roles reversed, Brevity’s version offers a new message to the audience. 

“It’s not fair either way, but it’s interesting to see what’s brought out when the genders are reversed. In the original, a wealthy man comes into the sister’s town, and decides that he wants to date the less desirable sister, or the ‘shrew.’ He does so by gaslighting and manipulating, and in the end, the shrew is tamed," said Sikkenga. 

According to Sikkegna, almost all of Shakespeare’s plays fall into one of three categories: comedies, histories and tragedies. However, both "The Taming of the Shrew" and "The Merchant of Venice" are difficult to categorize. While the two plays are considered comedies, their content is not always played for laughs. 

“In both, terrible things happen to the main characters, and they end up deceived and crushed. I’ve adapted about 19 of Shakespeare’s plays, but these two required a different angle. I wouldn’t have wanted to do a play where a man crushes a woman’s spirit. There’s enough of that already," said Sikkenga. 

While Shakespeare’s stories have been performed faithfully for centuries, Brevity Shakespeare’s approach focuses on creating accessible experiences. 

“It really comes down to three things. Shakespeare deserves to be loved, but sometimes he’s hard to love, and sometimes you just don’t know what he’s talking about. What I’m trying to do is take a script that might be pretty long and shorten it to more of a movie length," Sikkenga said. 

“The second thing is characters. In Shakespeare’s original plays, he’d have scripts with 25-30 characters. One of our goals is to tighten the amount of cast members needed and allow for them to play more roles. Typically, our productions call for closer to 10-16 actors. Lastly, if we want to reach the Ypsilanti community, we have to make sure our casts reflect that community, too. Our casts are diverse, and if they weren’t, it wouldn’t be Brevity Shakespeare anymore.” 

While “The Taming of the Shrew” has been met with criticism for its portrayal of women and misogyny, Brevity Shakespeare offers the story to audiences in a new light, connecting it more with the comedic elements with which early playwrights categorized it.

According to Sikkenga, “To a lot of people, Shakespeare is like algebra, and algebra has a lot to offer if it’s taught the right way.” 

Brevity Shakespeare's “The Taming of the Shrew" is directed by Veronica Long. This is her second time directing one of Brevity’s shows. 

Tickets for the show are still available for purchase, with final performances taking place June 6-8, 2025. General audience tickets are $15, and senior admission is $10. For more information about ticket availability and future updates, visit Brevity Shakespeare’s website.

Capacity is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to purchase their tickets soon. 

Brevity Shakespeare’s next production, “Othello,” made in collaboration with PTD Productions, will be holding auditions in October 2025.