Kiss Me, Kate at GSOV
Tony Award-winning 1940s musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate, from music genius Cole Porter (Anything Goes, Fifty Million Frenchmen) with a score of witty, hummable hits paired with a script from from Broadway legends Sam and Bella Spewack (Leave It To Me!, My Three Angels) is being presented by Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria from 2-5 May 2024 at the Alexander Theatre, Clayton.
The battle of the sexes takes centre stage as former spouses, leading lady Lilli Vanessi (Lauren Lee Innis-Youren, last seen as Eliza Dolittle, My Fair Lady, 2023), and her ex-husband, actor/director Fred Graham (Ian Woolford, last seen as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, 2023), feud onstage and off during a musical presentation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. On opening night, the rekindling of their affection is complicated by misguided flirtations, romantic discord, gambling debts, singing gangsters, and other enjoyable backstage shenanigans.
This fully-staged production is brought to you by Director Patrick Hill, Musical Director Trevor Henley, and Choreographer Denique Adlam with full orchestra, chorus and dancers. This is a strictly limited season of five shows presented at the modern and highly accessible Alexander Theatre, Clayton from Thursday 2 May to Sunday 5 May, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and free parking. Tickets from gsov.org.au.
Kiss Me, Kate combines the irreverent and bawdy humour of four magnificent writers: William Shakespeare, Sam and Bella Spewack (Tony Award for Best Author - Musical, 1948) and Cole Porter (Tony Award for Best Musical, 1948) with memorable musical numbers spanning a variety of music genres including “So In Love,” “Wunderbar,” “Tom, Dick or Harry,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “I Hate Men,” “Always True to You (In My Fashion)” and “Another Op’nin, Another Show.”
It made its Broadway debut in 1948 and won five Tony Awards, including the first award for Best Musical. The musical was revived on Broadway in 1999 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.
The show was inspired by real life, legendary Broadway husband-and-wife actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Broadway producer Saint Subber observed their on-and-off stage disputes during their 1935 production of The Taming of the Shrew. More than a decade later, he approached husband and wife team Sam and Bella Spewack, who were facing their own marital difficulties, to write the show. Bella started the project solo, but eventually enlisted Sam’s help and they finished the book together.
Cast
Lauren Lee Innis-Youren is Lilli Vanessi / Kate in The Shrew
Ian Woolford is Fred Graham / Petruccio in The Shrew
Madeleine Magetti is Lois Lane / Bianca in The Shrew
Jarrod Ferguson is Bill Calhoun / Lucentio in The Shrew
Michael Capon and Lydia Klimek are The Gangsters
Philip Liberatore is General Harrison
Kiss Me, Kate is presented by arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC, A Concord Theatricals Company.
Society and Season information: www.gsov.org.au
Booking link: https://www.monash.edu/performing-arts-centres/event/kiss-me-kate/
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