Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of contents
Introduction & Production Context
Nearing its 80th birthday, Kiss Me, Kate: The Musical reflects the ingenious collaboration between famed composer Cole Porter and the husband-and-wife writing team, Bella and Samuel Spewack. This 2024 revival, performed and filmed at London’s Barbican Theatre, follows a troupe of traveling actors, singers, and dancers who are performing a musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
Principal Cast
The cast, led by Stephanie J. Block (Lilli Vanessi/Katherine) and Adrian Dunbar (Fred Graham/Petruchio), includes Charlie Stemp (Bill/Lucentio), Georgina Onuorah (Lois/Bianca), Nigel Lindsay and Hammed Animashaun as the two gangsters, and Peter Davison(General Harrison Howell).
Plot Summary
Act I opens with Fred and his ex-wife Lilli arguing about his obvious pursuit of Lois, whose boyfriend Bill’s gambling problem resulted in his signing Fred’s name to a $10,000 IOU. This evening is the anniversary of the couple’s divorce, as Lilli flaunts a flashy engagement ring from her fiancé, General Howell. Two gangsters suddenly appear and threaten Fred over the IOU, but he buys some time by promising them a share of the play’s profits.
The show-within-the-show opens with a scene from The Taming of the Shrew, where Bianca’s father forbids her suitors from marrying her until her older sister, Katherine (the “shrew” with no desire to wed), is married. When Lilli goes offstage and reads the card left on flowers in her dressing room – which Fred intended for Lois – she abruptly returns and starts to pound Fred, who ends up spanking her.
Lilli is outraged and tells Fred she is quitting. However, if she leaves, he won’t be able to pay the gangsters, who return and compel her to remain at gunpoint. When the play resumes, Petruchio and Kate have just wed, but when she refuses to kiss her new husband, he carries her offstage as she continues hitting his shoulder.
During intermission, the cast and crew deliver one of the show’s high points: the song-and-dance number “Too Darn Hot.” The action resumes as Petruchio continues his futile efforts to tame Katherine. General Howell arrives only to run into Lois, who turns out to be one of his former lovers. When the General decides to nap in a dressing room, Fred gratuitously points out to Lilli that life with Harrison would lack the thrills she enjoyed in the theater. A turning point occurs when the gangsters learn their boss has been murdered, thereby canceling the IOU. As the play ends, Lilli leaves alone but returns just in time for a passionate reunion with Fred.
Musical Highlights & Personal Experience
I have seen one of this show’s many revivals in New York and have always enjoyed every minute of this timeless take on Shakespeare, featuring so many hit songs: “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Why Can’t You Behave,” “So In Love,” “Tom, Dick or Harry,” “I Hate Men,” and “Always True to You in My Fashion,” to name but a few.
Performance Analysis
Vocally, Dunbar manages to get through his numbers, but if you have seen predecessors like Brian Stokes Mitchell, you realize he was cast more for his comedic acting than his voice. Block, on the other hand, is the real deal vocally and steals the show at every opportunity. Kudos also go to Onuorah’s sexy Lois/Bianca and to Lindsay and Animashaun as the two gangsters; their in-front-of-the-curtain number, “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” literally brings down the house.
Production Elements
Director Bartlett Sher’s mastery of the rotating stage delights with its frequent, amusing forays into the backstage world. The musical direction of Stephen Ridley, the amazing choreography of Anthony Van Laast, Michael Yeargan’s inventive sets, and Catherine Zuber’s period costumes make this show a real treat for the audience’s ears and eyes. Highly recommended.
Availability
Kiss Me, Kate: The Musical is streaming now on PBS Passport.
Details
- Rating Certificate: Not Rated
- Studios & Distributors: Trafalgar Theatre Production | The Shubert Organization | udnFunLife Co. | New Frame Productions | The Scenario Company | ACT Productions | The Barbican
- Director: Bartlett Sher
- Written By: Cole Porter | Bella Spewack | Samuel Spewack
- Country: UK
- Language: English
- Run Time: 160 Mins.
- Release Date: 17 November 2024 (theatrical) | 30 May 2025 (streaming)