This chapter explores the strategies and effects of cross-gender performance in two productions of The Taming of the Shrew, one by the Korean theatre company Kim’s Comfunny (directed by Kim Dae-Hwan, 2008) and the other Japanese company Studio Life (directed by Kurata Jun, 2010). It contrasts with the previous chapter by focusing on how male actors enact femininity, examining the effects of these performances on hetero- and homo-erotic relations as well as the audience’s role and reception. The productions use distinctive styles—parody and participatory theatre in Kim’s Comfunny’s, and a mix of Shingeki (a form of theatrical naturalism in Japan) and musical theatre in Studio Life’s—to engage with gender in ways that emphasise the ludic potential of play-making. These performances highlight the constructed nature of gender and the unique dynamics of cross-gender performance in East Asian contexts, making the case that these performances do not merely represent gender but engage audiences in re-examining normative gender roles, often challenging or reconfiguring them. Through comparative analysis, the chapter reveals how these examples of contemporary East Asian theatre complicate the straightforward relationship between presence and political representation, offering new terms for discussing gender in popular performance.