RSC actress Michelle Gomez, in a great interview for What's On Stage, described how the play affected her.
I had absolutely no knowledge or understanding of Shakespeare, none whatsoever. I was very allergic - I had him in a little box marked “don’t bother” until I arrived at the RSC about two years ago and saw Marianne Elliott’s Much Ado. I was completely blown away. I was just coming along to see a friend in a play, and I never expected to be on my feet at the end. It was just a brilliant experience. I never knew it could be like that, I never knew that I could actually understand it and 'get' it. So that was a big turning point for me, and it was perfect timing when about a year or so later my agent phoned me about The Taming of the Shrew.
