Elissa Klie is kind of a Shakespeare nerd and we’re kind of obsessed with her. The beautiful up-and-comer currently stars as Katherine in Thomas G. Waites’ off-Broadway production of the Shakespeare romance The Taming of the Shrew. BroadwayBox caught up with Klie to talk about the Bard, her adorable dog Dezzy and the best way to tame this shrew.
1. The Shakespeare quote I’d want on a T-shirt:
"I do desire we may be better strangers." Orlando from As You Like It. It's such a great diss and yet so suggestive. I love it.
2. The Shakespeare character I relate to most is:
I'd have to go with Rosalind from As You Like It. Set aside the fact that she's been banished from her home; wandering around the forest with her best friend and a clown in tow, dressed in a disguise while playing mind games with the love of her life? Sounds like a great time. She's fun, witty and she doesn't take crap from people...I'd like to think I'm like that.
3. My favorite Shakespearean love story is:
Much Ado About Nothing. On the outside, Beatrice and Benedick are the epitome of the phrase 'opposites attract'. Their witty banter and sexual tension turns into a true love that is so satisfying. They become this little team at the end that you can't help but root for them.
4. If someone were working hard to woo this shrew, all they’d have to do is:
Set aside a day for us to explore a gorge or something. Bring a six-pack (maybe a 12-pack if we'll be there all day), some snacks, no phones, and no time restrictions…and maybe he could play the guitar.
5. The TV show I can’t get enough of:
Girls and Orange is the New Black. Two shows about women that are so good, even guys want to watch them!
6. My Shakespearean dream role is:
Hmm all of them? Lol. I've got a whole list, but I think at this point
I would love to play Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He's the coolest. It's a very different role than I've ever played, and I think exploring the witty trickster would be challenging and so much fun.
7. The song I am playing out this summer:
'Get Me Some of That' by Thomas Rhett...I love country music.
8. The movie I love so much I know all the lines to it:
Titanic. My sisters and I have been quoting it nonstop for 17 years.
9. My classic Shakespeare audition monologue is:
Rosalind from As You Like It —where she (disguised as Ganymede) tries a million different tactics to persuade Phoebe not to fall in love with her, while at the same time perhaps being a bit flattered?
10. To me, summer in New York City means:
Late nights at the theater and early mornings in the Park with my Chocolate Lab, Dezzy—short for Desdemona. She totally has a Shakespearean name and people think I'm totally weird when I tell them that.
See Shakespeare enthusiast Elissa Klie killing it as Katharine in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at the Baruch Performing Arts Center/Rose Nagelberg Theatre through August 3.
