This collection of essays investigates how gender performance and cross-dressing function as critical tools to challenge traditional interpretations of canonical theatrical works. Alisa Solomon, a scholar of theatre and performance, utilizes a materialist and feminist framework to analyze how playwrights like Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Brecht manipulate gender roles. By examining the historical and social contexts of these plays, the author argues that theatrical cross-dressing is not merely a plot device but a mechanism for destabilizing established social norms and gender binaries.

Scholars and theatre practitioners frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the intersection of performance theory and gender studies. The text is noted for its rigorous academic approach and its ability to reframe classic plays through a contemporary critical lens.