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Kiss Me, Kate – Shakespeare Theatre Company

Jordan Wright
November 24, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
 

Douglas Sills as Fred Graham and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Douglas Sills as Fred Graham and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

A stunner of a show just rolled into town and utterly knocked our socks off.  Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate the play-within-a-play, well, not really, since it’s a musical, brought with it a fresh breeze to Sidney Harman Hall thanks to Director Alan Paul. 

Using Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” as underpinning, Porter composed the music and witty lyrics with Samuel and Bella Spewack, two of the finest stage writers of their time, who penned many a Broadway show and Hollywood screenplay.  In this madcap creation we are privy to the goings on backstage where all the action is set.  The storyline follows two couples who are preparing their parts for Shakespeare’s classic tale – Lilli Vanessi (Christine Sherrill who also plays the man-hating shrew, Kate), and her ex-husband slash co-star Fred Graham (Douglas Sills, also in the role of her suitor Petruchio; and Lois Lane (Robyn Hurder, who also plays Bianca) and her gambler boyfriend, Bill Calhoun (Clyde Alves, who also plays Lucentio).  Got it?  They also have relationship issues.  Who doesn’t? 

Douglas Sills as Fred Graham and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Robyn Hunter as Lois Lane and Christine Sherrill as Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Add in Fred and Lilli’s dressers, Hattie (Zonya Love) and Paul (T. Oliver Reed), a backstage crew, an entire chorus line, and sprinkle with a couple of rough-tough-cream-puff gangsters played with all the requisite ‘dese, dems and dose’ by Bob Ari and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, and it’s on! 

See it for the dancing – jitterbug, leaps, high kicks and acrobatics combine with tap, waltz and rumba by the best hoofers around.  Choreographer Michele Lynch co-opts every inch of real estate for each intricate routine.  See it for the steamy cavorting or see it for the singing.  It will take your breath away.  The audience literally screamed with delight clapping wildly after each number.  Sherill is captivatingly maddening as Kate in the tune, “I Hate Men” and Sills grabs the spotlight in “So in Love”.  As for Hurder, the audience nearly wouldn’t let her off the stage after her first number, “Tom, Dick or Harry”, and her sizzling, negligee-clad, vamp rendition of, “Always True to You in My Fashion”.  In the second act sultriness raised the bar with “It’s Too Darn Hot” led by Paul and Hattie and augmented by the dancers. 

The company of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

The company of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Alan Paul at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by Scott Suchman.

A ten-piece orchestra led by James Cunningham stays true to the nifty sophistication of Porter’s music, coupling neatly to Sound Designer Justin Stasiw’s noises off sound effects.  The triple threat is bracketed by Scenic Designer James Noone’s 1940’s period sets of Ford’s Theater’s backstage interspersed with drops depicting 16th C Italy that are reminiscent of 1940’s The New Yorker magazine’s pen and ink illustrations of the day. 

Run, don’t walk, to the box office!  Highly recommended. 

At the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall through January 3rd 2016 at 610 F St., NW Washington, DC 20004.  For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.

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