Taming of the Shrew: Extreme

New York Theatre Collective is proud to present the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival’s production of Taming of the Shrew: Extreme. Following its success as the flagship production of the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival’s 2003 season, the show will enter a limited Off-Broadway engagement. The production is a fresh take on Shakespeare’s comedic battle of the sexes. Set in the world of reality TV, it satirizes this recent cultural phenomenon using Shakespeare’s classic text. Original songs, dance, music and integrated multimedia give the production a contemporary spin. Craig George directs a cast including Adam Adrian, Dana Dimon, J. Richey Nash, David Paluck, Alice Vienneau, and Barbra Wengerd. Ethan Zohn, million-dollar winner of CBS’s “Survivor: Africa,” makes a special appearance as video host.

In this reality show, six contestants are chosen to play a multitude of roles, telling Shakespeare’s Shrew through gender-bending characterizations and spontaneous transformations. The irrepressible Kate is matched against the equally unruly Petruchio in a fierce competitive battle that is part spectator sport, part outrageous farce, and part psychological drama.