Tame but Enjoyable Kiss Me, Kate at Toby's Columbia

From the outset, I have to admit that Kiss Me, Kate is not one of my favorite musicals. I find the music dull and the story a so-so adaptation of one of my favorite Shakespearean comedies. On the other hand, I also have to admit that when I saw who was playing Kate/Lilli and Petruchio/Fred in Kate at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia, my hopes for an entertaining evening grew by leaps and bounds. Well, while my opinion of the show itself has improved somewhat from what it was, I found myself somewhat let down by the two stars.

Having adapted somewhat from the recent Broadway revival, director Carole Graham Lehan has created an enjoyable, if uneven, evening of theatre. She has chosen a mostly terrific cast – particularly the ensemble - worked with some excellent designers, and keeps things, once they get moving, at very brisk pace. It is waiting until the show gets moving – a full three scenes, including four songs - that is minor torture. From the beginning strains of "Another Op'nin', Another Show", which are at a gruelingly slow pace (a la the revival), the evening starts off rather shakily. Some of the lines are so slow and over enunciated - "Baltimo'" just ain't that funny folks, not the first or 15th time, no matter how fast or slow or carefully pronounced – that the actual tune of the song is lost, occasionally by the poor actors trying to follow the melody. Add to that staging that is both unfocused and not of enough substance to keep it moving or interesting and the op'nin number is a snooze. There simply is not enough business given to the cast to make getting the "show" ready to be interesting – though, to be fair, there is not that much you can do with a trunk once you put it down, and criss-crossing with costume racks is only exciting maybe once. The next two scenes are all set up for the fun that is to ensue. Yawn.

Here is where I thought the fun was going to really get juicy. It is here that we find Fred, a pompous actor, and his ex-wife, Lilli, a diva in a production of Taming of the Shrew, behaving like the characters they are about to play. And just like a real production of Shrew, chemistry between the two adversaries is crucial. Most importantly, one must be able to see the possibility of love between them in order to believe the outcome. And here is where I was so excited to see who was playing the roles. Real-life husband and wife, Russell Sundayand Janine Gulisano-Sunday, who co-starred as adversaries in Beauty and the Beast were so terrific in that show. They had the adversarial aspect of that show down pat. I couldn't wait to see the sparks fly again, but this time with passion and romance a new, satisfying twist on their previous roles. Well, they still have the adversarial pert down pat. Their venomous delivery of acidic wit is remarkable – superb timing, sharp expressions and an easy give and take, allowing the audience to lap it up like cream. And they have the physical demands of their fights nicely together; it still looks a tiny bit restrained, I imagine because it is still new, and I only see it improving as the run continues. But they are already in terrific shape. The problem is that there is very little between them that would suggest even the tiniest glimmer of a romantic spark. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Mr. Sunday seems to be unable to lose the Gaston primping, posturing and self-absorption. Perhaps it is the very self-conscious diva behavior Mrs. Gulisano-Sunday is putting on (I bet in real life she is more like Belle, a role that fit her like a glove); she seems so concentrated on getting everything down and executed that there is no time for her to let loose a bit of hidden love. Whatever the reason, the lack of even a glimpse of love makes the ending somewhat unbelievable. Their rendition of "Wunderbar," a song designed to let us see how they were in the past, is a prime example of this lack of chemistry. That said, both actors sing their parts beautifully, and as I said, their ability to complete the physical demands of the roles is outstanding, and quite funny (at one point I was reminded of Lucy and Ricky – when Lucy is bad and Ricky spanks her). When doing the physical comedy they are excellently timed and their facial expressions are a scream. Only once, at the very, very end of the play did I see what could have been. I won't give away the plot details, but it involves Fred looking at Lilli, melting momentarily and whispering "darling" before continuing the scene. Alas, one whispered word and appropriate expression does not a romance make.

That moment also highlights a problem with the direction that has never before been seen by this critic at this location in 23 years of attending Toby's. There are several times where the lack of attention to the blocking creates sightline issues for the section I was in. Most of act one, in fact, has prime action facing away from that section, with characters seated with their backs in front of us for large chunks of dialogue and songs. The people diagonally across from us got the lion's share of seeing act one in its entirety. And due to the fact that I am relatively tall, I was the only person at my table to see the aforementioned "darling", and as Mr. Sunday appeared to be looking right at me when he said it (no emails on that, please), it means that more than half the audience couldn't see it. Finally, and in the same vein, the thing that pays off the whole show… when Kate finally kisses the guy, it is almost completely obscured by the ensemble that raises up and lifts their arms at the very moment of the kiss. (Picture waiting all night for Grizabella to get her chance at heaven and you can't see her go.) And this happens not once but TWICE in the evening, as the exact scene is duplicated at the curtain call.

Still and all, I recommend seeing this production heartily. Why? Well, Mr. And Mrs. Sunday are still quite good despite their problems, some of the supporting cast are memorable and you will have to look long and hard to find such lavish production values. Kiss Me, Kate and other musicals of that era (Guys and Dolls springs to mind) demand a certain style of acting, which is admittedly difficult to explain. You know it when you see it, I think. While Kate and Petruchio seem stuck in Beauty and the Beast, Jeffrey Shankle as Bill/Lucentio is still playing Thoroughly Modern Millie's Jimmy, and dully at that. Also, a few of the ensemble members seem stuck in an Elizabethan La Cage aux Folles (again I fault uneven direction here).

Thankfully, four of the supporting cast has that style nailed, and that is likely why they get the biggest hand of the evening. Quite simply, Debra Buonaccorsi as Bianca/Lois is effervescent. She is funny as the dumb blonde with a heart of gold, and the sense to know that if you got it, flaunt it (Toby needs her to be Ulla in her inevitable production of The Producers) – totally in keeping with the acting style of that period. The girl can belt out a tune with such quality AND character – many have one but not the other – her "Always True to You in My Fashion" is hilarious and a showstopper. Similarly, Robert Biedermann and David James as the Gangsters nearly steal the show. If they rely a little too heavily on shtick, they have pinpoint accurate timing and chew the scenery, as their parts require. Their "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" is a knee-slapper, even if it does go on an encore or two too long. Lastly, in the ensemble (and with a minor supporting character), Lawrence B. Munsey gets two delightful featured dance spots in "Tom, Dick, or Harry" and "Too Darn Hot." He is a terrific dancer..

And speaking of the ensemble, if the guys who are Bianca's suitors aren't exactly, um, convincing, all of the ensemble, male and female, are exciting performers. They dance and sing like the very best caliber of Broadway hoofers. And the choreography by the always reliable Ilona Kessel, while owing a nod again to the revival, has created several exciting crowd-pleasing numbers, including "Too Darn Hot" which is, no pun intended, steamy and very sexy, and "Tom, Dick, or Harry" which is funny and charming.

Not only are the dance and fight choreography a visual feast, so too are the costumes, lighting and setting. The costumes designed by Mr. Munsey and provided by Costume World, Inc. are gorgeous. They are colorful, vivid and full of character, both in the Shrew scenes and in the "modern day" scenes. Even better, they play as one third of the beautiful stage paintings the designers have created. Lynn Joslin's lighting design is moody and appropriately colorful without ever getting in the way – good lighting should go unnoticed and simply "be." David A. Hopkins' settings, theatrewide, manage to also be bright and colorful and evocative of the two worlds of the play – backstage and onstage, sometimes both at once. The Shrew scenes are particularly well designed as they help fill in the gaps for those in the audience unfamiliar with the Bard's masterpiece. You certainly are getting your money's worth in eye candy with this production!

Problems and all, this Kiss Me, Kate IS worth going to. You will leave the theatre happy and smiling.

Photos by Kristine Christiansen: TOP: Lawrence B. Munsey (background), Jeffrey Shankle (L) and Russell Sunday (R); BOTTOM: Janine Gulisano-Sunday.

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