Michele Ragusa Returns to Buffalo in KISS ME KATE CONCERT,4/27

Buffalo native Michele Ragusa, who has been seen on Broadway in Young Frankenstein, Titanic and Ragtime, will play Lilli/Kate in a staged concert version of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate April 27 with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.The 8 PM performance will be conducted by Matthew Kraemer and directed by James Brennan.

The cast will also feature Mike McGowan (currently on tour in Book of Mormon) as FrEd Graham/Petruchio, Jenn Stafford as Lois Lane/Bianca, Patrick O'Herron as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio, Patrick Riviere as Gangster #1, David Bondrow as Gangster #2, Devon Borowski as Gremio/first suitor, Robert Sherman as Hortensio/second suitor, Maggie Zindle as Hattie, Tom Owen as Harrison Howell/Baptista and Chris Wietig as Paul/Ralph.

This concert will also mark a return for Ragusa to star with the BPO following her last turn as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. It also marks two major reunions for Ragusa - the first is with her co-star McGowan. The two played these exact roles in the critically acclaimed production at Paper Mill Playhouse. It also marks a reunion with Riviere, who last performed with her many years ago at Studio Arena in Joseph...

Loosely based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, Kiss Me, Kate originally opened at Broadway's New Century Theatre on Dec. 30, 1948. Featuring a score by Cole Porter and a book by Samuel and Bella Spewack, Kate ran 1,077 performances. The original cast included AlfrEd Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang. The classic Porter score includes such tunes as "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "Too Darn Hot," "Wunderbar," "So in Love," "Always True to You in My Fashion," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," "Why Can't You Behave?," "We Open in Venice," "Tom, Dick or Harry," "I Hate Men" and "Where Is the Life that Late I Led?"

For ticket information for the evening at Kleinhans Music Hall, visit www.bpo.org