taming of the shrew

has three major male characters - Lucentio, Petruchio, and Hortensio, and their pursuits of Kate and Bianca become much like a sport. They use manipulation and deception to achieve their goals. I still have to do a closer reading to pin point a specific moment and clarify the connections, but i think this play has the strongest parallels with my joke. I may also consider using only one central character and work with his relationship with more minor characters instead, i.e. Lucentio's support from Tranio and the Merchant.