In the constellation of musical comedy masterpieces, Kiss Me, Kate shines as perhaps Broadway's most sparkling achievement.
This is the winner of the first-ever Tony Award for Best Musical, alive with onstage romance, backstage passion, comedy high and low, a hilarious dash of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and the songwriting genius of Cole Porter at his stylish, sexy, sophisticated best, including "Too Darn Hot," "So In Love" and "Always True To You In My Fashion." Once again, Roundabout catapults you to musical comedy heaven, with a brand-new Kiss Me, Kate.
Scott Ellis directs Kelli O'Hara, Will Chase, Corbin Bleu, and more - now thru June 2 only!
Those spats usually bring Kiss Me, Kate some of its biggest laughs - and thankfully, that remains the same here. It helps that Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody, Bring It On The Musical) has provided some tweaks to Sam and Bella Spewack's book, which responsibly eliminate some of the nastier verbal insults to level the playing field a bit. The delightful Chase has embraced some of Fred's goofiness, too, and he and O'Hara play off one another perfectly.
But speaking as someone who has attended many prior productions and is well familiar with its numerous audio and video recordings (including the overblown 1953 MGM film and a 1958 TV adaptation with the original leads Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison), the Roundabout's 'Kiss Me, Kate' (directed by Roundabout veteran Scott Ellis) strikes me as an unnecessary, underwhelming and miscast revival.
1948 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1949 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1951 | West End |
London Production West End |
1952 | Broadway |
Return Engagement [Broadway] Broadway |
1965 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1987 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1999 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2001 | West End |
London Production West End |
2012 | West End |
Old Vic Theatre Production West End |
2016 | New York |
Roundabout Theatre Company Benefit Concert New York |
2018 | West End |
Opera North Production West End |
2019 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Revival Broadway |
2024 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Corbin Bleu |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Kiss Me, Kate |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kelli O'Hara |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Kiss Me, Kate |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Warren Carlyle |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Kiss Me, Kate |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Stephanie Styles |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Larry Hochman |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kelli O'Hara |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Kiss Me, Kate |
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