A Spanish/English ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ @ Shakespeare Dallas

Photos by Linda Blase

—Teresa Marrero

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is arguably one of the Bard’s most produced, loved, and hated plays. The reason? Anyone growing up during the feminist and post-feminist movement who hears of the need to “tame” a woman—with all its implications of animalistic, uncontainable wildness—finds this a bitter bill to swallow.

Putting that aside, Shakespeare Dallas’s open-air Spanish/English production of Shrew is indeed a sight to behold and experience.

We arrived with our low-backed folding chairs, a cooler full of goodies, a blanket, and set ourselves on the first row, almost on the stage. This allows for the best experience to witness the actors’ prowess, although there are those who prefer the long view a bit further away. To be sure, if one brings a high back chair, the back is where you are allowed to sit.

For those who may be new to the Samuell-Grand Amphitheater, no worries: there are concession stands if you need water or souvenirs, huge bathrooms (even the women’s), and thank goodness no mosquitoes in sight. 

Get ready for serious name-dropping both in the areas of production design, movement, and acting. This show is a powerhouse.

The play (directed by Ryan Matthieu Smith with an assist from Kristen Kelso) is billed as a modern verse translation by Amy Freed with Spanish translation by Virginia Grise (one of the powerhouses). The simultaneity of the Shakespearean dialogue in modern English and Spanish is beautiful. The Spanish is rich with Mexican and borderlands popular expressions, adding a sense of contemporary locus and local humor. The references were not of a far-off Italy, but of San Antonio, Texas and Coahuila, Mexico, among others. And the reference to the linguistic issues with gender bias in Spanish—that of defaulting to the masculine—was hilariously addressed by including a reference at least twice to the todos, todas, todex in the dialogue when referring to everyone. This places the gender identity politics within Latine, Latinx, Chicano-a-x, Mexican American narratives.

Brilliant.

This contributed to the actors’ ability to perform a language-rich text. (Honestly, I don’t know how they memorize all those lines!) The clarity of their diction in both languages makes it easy to understand, although it was evident that some performers were more fluent in Spanish than others.

This “reimagined” production follows the original Shakespearean text closely in terms of characters, plot, and scene sequences. Katherine/Kate, played with flaming hot vigor by another powerhouse, Liz Magallanes, makes her entrance wearing red boots and wielding a lasso whip. She personifies the wild and unruly “shrew”—an unpleasant, ill-tempered, nagging woman—who was a comedic stock character in Western literature and folklore.

Meanwhile her docile and mealymouthed sister Bianca, played by Alissa Carrasco, is favored by their widowed mother Baptista (the second local production that replaces the father with the mother). Sheila D. Rose as the matriarch displays the proper authority of a land-owner aware of the worth of her daughters.

The catch? Every male around wants to marry the younger Bianca; however, Baptista will not allow it until the unruly Kate is married first.

Thus enters a whole slew of scheming men whose aim is to get Kate married off so they can have Bianca. While there is not enough room to repeat the plot of the entire cast of schemers, I must mention each one because together they created a dynamic ensemble. They are:

Baptista, Sheila D. Rose
Kate, Liz Magallanes
Petruchio, Omar Padilla
Bianca, Alyssa Carrasco
Lucentio, Jayson L. Diaz
Hortensio, Adrian Godinez
Tranio, Alexander Delacruz Nunez
Gremio, Robert San Juan
Vincentio, Andy Gonzalez-Bendiksen
Biondello, Efren Paredes
Grumio, Jonah Gutierrez
Merchant, Omar Valdez Rocha
Widow Xiomara, Nicole Delarosa
Ensemble, Zay Driver, Itzel Flores, Osmar Martinez, Dahlia Parks

Did you notice who plays Petruchio opposite Liz Magallanes’ Kate? None other than yet another powerhouse local talent: Omar Padilla. These two generated a dynamic emotional and physical relationship that was admirable. They matched each other head-to-head.

Regarding movement, bringing in Jeff Colangelo’s expertise took the tense fight scenes between Kate and Petruchio to a whole other level. I was reminded of the famous 1978 New York City´s Shakespeare in the Park production with Meryl Streep and Raul Juliá, and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton´s filmed 1967 performances.  Those are mighty tall orders.

The brightly Mexican scenic design by Uldarico Sarmiento Ossio consists of two tiers, one on the floor level, and a second that forms an arch over the stage with stairs descending from the sides. Immediately this staging offers diverse opportunities for action in the rather long (two hours with intermission) play. Actors used the side aisles mostly to enter.

As costume designer, director Ryan Matthieu Smith must have had a lot of fun creating these colorful outfits—particularly Petruchio´s outlandish wedding get-up. And, working closely with dramaturg Karina Gutiérrez, Smith keeps the integrity of Shakespeare´s classic intact, while delivering a lively pace. Sound designer Noah James Heller makes interesting choices with the sound. And music director and composer Cherish Love Robinson includes contemporary Mexican musical themes that integrate well with the overall design of the show.

In short, lest I inadvertently not mention someone involved in this substantial production, hearty applause and congratulations are in order for all—despite the play’s misogynistic bent, popular in Shakespeare’s own time, and still persisting today.

WHEN: September 19-October 19, 2025
WHERE: Samuell-Grand Amphitheater, 1500 Tennison Pkwy., Dallas
WEB: shakespearedallas.org

Dr. Teresa Marrero is Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of North Texas. She specializes in Latine and Latin American theater.