This West End production of Kiss Me, Kate was another of the recordings PBS aired for Great Performances this spring. Understandably, Next to Normal remains first in my heart, but this was a fun production too. Stephanie J. Block never disappoints, and ever since the fantastic Midsummer Night’s Dream he was in, I’m always excited when I see Hammed Animashaun pop up in something. And it was a pleasant surprise to discover that this is also an Other Doctor Lives project, thanks to an appearance from Peter Davison in a supporting role!
Bitter exes Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi are starring together in a new musical production of The Taming of the Shrew. On their opening night, backstage misunderstandings and grievances spill out onto their onstage performances. Throw in some gambling debts, a young couple with differing views on fidelity, and a pair of threatening gangsters, and you have the makings of a farce.
While Kiss Me, Kate isn’t a top-tier musical for me, I’ve always enjoyed the show. Cole Porter’s score is packed with clever, naughty lyrics, and there are so many crowd-pleaser numbers. In this production, the usual suspects brought the house down: the spectacular dancing in “Too Darn Hot,” the joyous promiscuity of “Always True to You (in My Fashion),” and of course the uproarious “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” especially as it gets into repeated refrains and the gangsters demand audience participation.
I do think it’s a show that works a little better in person, because when you’re in the room feeling the energy of the actors, it feeds the comedy and heightens the whole experience. In the recording, I can hear that the audience is absolutely rolling at the gangsters’ antics, Fred and Lilli’s onstage sparring, and so on. But even from a slight distance on the other side of my screen, there’s still plenty to enjoy.
Stephanie J. Block is a terrific Lilli, a strong-willed diva whose vulnerabilities are closer to the surface than she’d like to admit. She’s funny, she’s in excellent voice, and she has great combative chemistry with Adrian Dunbar’s Fred. I enjoy Charlie Stemp and Georgina Oruorah as Bill and Lois—Oruorah brings the house down with her delightful “Always True to You (in My Fashion.)” I of course knew that Hammed Animashaun was going to be a hoot, and he and Nigel Lindsay do a bang-up job as the two gangsters. Their scenes consistently had me grinning. Additional shoutout to Jack Butterworth as Paul. I’ve always loved “Too Darn Hot,” and he leads the dance fantastically.
Peter Davison plays Gen. Harrison Powell, Lilli’s new guy. He doesn’t show up until the second act, although we see Lilli’s phone calls with him in Act I. Harrison arrives at the theatre after Lilli has reached her limit with Fred, dramatically announcing her intention to quit the show and begging Harrison to come take her away. The main joke here is that Harrison is old and stodgy, a terrible fit for Lilli. “I can see why she fell for you,” Fred quips. “You look exactly like her grandpa.” While Lilli argues that she can depend on Harrison, Fred insists that she’ll never be satisfied with a quiet life away from the stage.
It’s a small role without much meat to it, but Davison is still enjoyable. He does a nice job playing baffled and suspicious of the theatrical antics, as well as oblivious to Lilli’s growing hesitation. My favorite bit comes when Lilli’s trying to convince him that the gangsters are forcing her to stay in the show at gunpoint. “But Harrison, I could get killed!” she insists. Aggressively American Military Man Harrison assures her, “Guns don’t kill people,” and right on cue, the gangsters pipe up, “We do!”
Accent Watch
A pretty broad American, vaguely Southern.
Recommend?
In General – I think I would. This is a fun production!
Peter Davison – I wouldn’t call it a must—Davison’s role is too small for that—but if you have any general interest in watching the show, his presence adds to it.
Warnings
A metric ton of sex jokes and innuendo, language, allusions to violence, and thematic elements.
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