Sneak Preview: Inside the Bolshoi's "Taming of the Shrew," Coming to Movie Theaters This Weekend

If you haven’t checked your local movie listings yet for this weekend, hop to it. The Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series and Fathom Events is broadcasting a performance of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s The Taming of the Shrew to theaters nationwide on Sunday, November 19. (To see if it’s playing near you and to purchase tickets, click here.) While the rest of the Bolshoi’s cinema season features 19th- and 20th-century classics, The Taming of the Shrew gives audiences a chance to see the revered Moscow company in a thoroughly modern, 21st-century take on Shakespeare’s famous play.

Aside from a limited run in New York City this July, American audiences have had little exposure to Maillot’s 2014 production. To learn more, check out these two exclusive, behind-the-scenes webisodes below. Principal dancer Ekaterina Krysanova, who stars as the hotheaded Katharina, gives an intimate play-by-play of two major scenes in Act I. The first is her fiery rejection of three potential suitors (who all would prefer to marry Katharina’s younger sister Bianca).

The second scene breaks down Katharina’s first encounter with Petruchio (danced by the larger-than-life Vladislav Lantritov), the only man who seems to be able to challenge her. Here, too, we see the shrew’s heart start to soften. (Don’t miss her time-stopping attitude turn at 4:27.)

The Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema Series continues through June; for more details on upcoming screenings, click here.