From the Producer of Anything Goes, comes a new production of Kiss Me, Kate. With Cole Porter’s razor-sharp witted lyrics, it’s ‘The ultimate Broadway musical from the golden age’ (Financial Times) and is Broadway musical comedy meets Shakespeare meets *Noises Off*.
Directed by Bartlett Sher (The King and I, South Pacific and To Kill A Mockingbird*) and with a company of over 50 including a full-scale orchestra, Kiss Me, Kate features classic songs including Another Op'nin', Another Show, Brush Up Your Shakespeare and Tom, Dick or Harry. Adrian Dunbar stars as Fred Graham with Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block making her West End debut as Lilli Vanessi.
Kiss Me, Kate is the original farce and whisks you into a world of backstage chaos and romantic entanglements. It’s the perfect Summer musical for 2024.
Reaching almost 80 years in age, the show’s flaws aren’t hard to spot (incessant bouts of sexism seem to rear their heads a fair wad). Much as he did with his lavish productions of My Fair Lady and The King and I, Sher is the perfect man for the job here: adding small interventions to the numbers and blocking to both broaden and deepen Graham and Vanessi’s relationship. It’s subtle, and never feels extravagantly overt, but does make the material far more palatable – even though the “spanking” scene still raises an eyebrow or two.
Stephanie J Block has 21 years experience on Broadway and, appropriately, gave it both barrels as Lilli Vanessi, the divorced wife of Dunbar’s actor-producer Fred Graham, and Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, the play that was being put up on the other side of the scenery by our troupe of touring players. Life was soon imitating art, as Lilli rained blows, verbal and physical, on the slithering Fred (Petruchio, natch) - but you kinda knew they were the only people who could stand each others’ presence.
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 |
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