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
Shakespeare in performance and prompting a small Broadway success and a national tour. Other notable productions of the 20th century that follow this trend of relocating Shakespeare's plays are H.K. Ayliff's "Macbeth" of 1928 set on the battlefields of World War I, Welles' "Julius Caesar" of 1937 based on the Nazi rallies at Nuremberg, and Thacker's "Coriolanus" of 1994 costumed in the manner of the French Revolution. In 1978, a deconstructive version of "The Taming of the Shrew" was performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The main character walked through the audience toward the stage, acting drunk and shouting sexist comments before he