The Taming of the Shrew in performance reviewers as being extremely physical. Lunt and Fontanne were the most famous celebrity couple of the time, and their backstage fights were rumoured to be just as ferocious as their on-stage performances. So legendary did the tempestuous reputation of the couple become that Cole Porter's 1948 musical "Kiss Me, Kate", about a fiery couple attempting to stage an adaptation of "The Taming of the Shrew", was based on their real-life antics. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the play has been frequently staged all over the world. Some notable productions include: "The Shrew"s popularity on stage has continued
The Taming of the Shrew lines are extended and split between Polidor (the equivalent of Hortensio) and Phylema (Bianca). As Gremio "does" have a counterpart in "I Suppositi", Miller concludes that "to argue the priority of "A Shrew" in this case would mean arguing that Shakespeare took the negative hints from the speeches of Polidor and Phylema and gave them to a character he resurrected from "Supposes". This is a less economical argument than to suggest that the compiler of "A Shrew", dismissing Gremio, simply shared his doubts among the characters available." He argues there is even evidence in the play that the compiler knew