Kiss Me, Kate

Passions run high as leading lady Lilli Vanessi and her ex-husband, actor/director Fred Graham, battle onstage and off in a production of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. With romance, comedy, sophistication, and behind-the-scenes high jinks, KISS ME, KATE combines the irreverent humor of two brilliant writers: Cole Porter and William Shakespeare. Musical numbers include “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.”

KISS ME, KATE was originally produced in 1948, and is considered one of Broadway’s great treasures. It was revived on Broadway in 1999, taking advantage of new technology in music and reflecting evolving social values. The Revised Version features a brand-new orchestration and a refined script. All seventeen of the original songs remain in the revised score, with the addition of “From This Moment On,” from Porter’s OUT OF THIS WORLD and the 1953 film adaptation of KISS ME, KATE. Among the script changes, the character of Harrison Howell is now a general with political ambitions, adding some topical humor from the show’s time period.