The Bondmaid Line – Adding a Twist to the Classic Play
The Rehearsal
Rehearsals for “The Taming of the Shrew” are not going well. The actresses keep bickering and forgetting their lines. Luckily, the director has ways of dealing with such distractions.The Taming of the Shrew has had a reputation for being Shakespeare’s kinkiest play since the spanking scene was added to Kiss Me Kate. I’ve always thought that Kate and Bianca’s fight scene at the start of Act 2 had kinky potential. The “bondmaid” line begs for some rope to be added, and the stage direction doesn’t say where Kate strikes her sister… The last time I did this scene I was playing Kate, and was entirely upstaged by my co-actress, who played Bianca’s provocative smugness to the hilt. I loved her reading of Bianca as knowing rather than innocent, and fancied giving it a go. I hope you enjoy this light-hearted foray into Shakespearean spankings. We had a lot of fun with it! I’d love to do more on this theme: if nothing else, I want to see Thomas’ Petruchio take down Caroline’s Kate! To find out more about the story behind this scene, click here. Photography: Jimmy Holloway
