Cole Porter’s classic musical Kiss Me, Kate returns to London for a limited engagement on the vast stage of the Barbican Theatre. With director Bartlett Sher, who’s My Fair Lady recently wowed audiences at the London Coliseum, and a glittering cast, it has all the right ingredients, but doesn’t always hit the mark.
The show opens with a rehearsal for a curtain call. Kiss Me, Kate follows the beloved theatrical trope of a play within a play. In this case, it’s opening night for Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew in a Baltimore theatre, appropriate given Shakespeare’s own love of the play within a play.
The stars of the show are a formerly married couple, a will they/won’t they storyline emerges amidst a whole host of sub-plots. A comedy, verging on farce, things go wrong when a case of mistaken identity leads a pair of gangsters (a wonderful double act of Nigel Lindsay and Hammed Animashaun) try to collect a debt from the wrong person and, quickly, become producers of the show.
There’s a point about halfway through, when Petruchio, or more accurately Fred Graham explains to the audience that it’s now 1948, and so times have changed since Taming of the Shrew was first written; women are now allowed on the stage for example. Kiss Me, Kate has always been a parody on old-fashioned thinking, but in this production, it feels like it’s becoming a parody of itself.
Stephanie J Block is wonderful as Lili Vanessi, who is also the eponymous Kate, with glorious vocals and a spirited performance which endlessly delights the audience. Adrian Dunbar as Fred is less convincing and struggles to maintain the momentum or quick wit the role requires.
Those audience members who come to see a musical might find themselves wondering why there’s quite so much Shakespeare, even if they were hoping to brush up on the bard. It’s perhaps the biggest problem with Sam and Bella Spewack’s book; dazzling musical numbers are interspersed with long scenes that don’t so much drive the narrative forward, but instead muddy the waters.
The act two opener is easily the best scene in the whole show, led by a sensational Jack Butterworth as Paul, ‘Too Darn Hot’ brings the big awe inspiring song and dance number we’ve all been waiting for. It’s also the first time (and one of only two) where we get to see the fabulous Charlie Stemp do what Charlie Stemp does best, but it’s Butterworth who steals the scene.
In close competition is ‘Always True To You In My Fashion’ performed spectacularly by Georgina Onuorah as Lois Lane. Just as in that previous scene, Don Holder’s lighting design comes into its own, creating a fabulous visual treat.
Michael Yeargan’s mammoth rotating set is also a sight to behold. Holding backstage, on stage and out in the street, it moves us through different areas of the theatre for the various scenes. But it looks even better when characters move through it, effectively taking the audience with them – and how refreshing to see such results achieved without a camera or screen in sight.
Funny for the most part, Kiss Me, Kate is a cherished musical for a reason. There are scenes that will stick in the audience’s minds long after the show has finished and there’s plenty to enjoy, but it feels dated, and in this production, a little tired.
