Kiss Me, Kate
2003: Chris Hunt

It’s hard to say whether this should be considered an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew or something else: it’s the classic Cole Porter musical about a production of The Taming of the Shrew (more or less) in which the principal actors (Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi) resolve their own peculiar differences following the breakup of their marriage in a manner reflecting the inner dynamic of the play.

This musical is the source for a number of phenomenally successful songs in their day (“Wunderbar”, “It’s Too Darn Hot”, etc.), and was perhaps the high point of Porter’s musical career (though others might debate such an assessment). Of particular interest here, it’s the source of the very funny “Brush Up Your Shakespeare”, which makes glancing and irreverent reference to a majority, if not all, of Shakespeare’s plays.

This performance, based on the Broadway revival of 2003, is significantly more faithful to the original stage version of Kiss Me, Kate than was the 1953 Howard Keel vehicle. It also offers some noteworthy singing and dancing forces and solid dramatic treatment of the play as well.

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