Kiss Me Kate

KISS ME KATE was the first musical to win the Tony Award for best musical in 1949. It represented a comeback of sorts for the composer and lyricist Cole Porter. He had COMPSED several hit sin his past: ANYTHING GOES, PANAMA HATTIE, and DUBARRY WAS A LADY but a tragic equestrian accident that lead to the amputation of a leg left him depressed and antisocial. The challenge of writing a musicalization of Shakespeare’s TAMING OF THE SHREW as performed by a roving troupe of actors, inspired him to write his most famous and tuneful musical. The result was KISS ME KATE, which ran for 1070 performances and won him five Tony Awards. When the show was revived in 1999 it won ten more Tony Awards nominations and nine Drama Desk Award nominations. The sad thing is that for years Kiss me Kate was unproducable due to a spotty book and concerns about feminist and black reaction to certain aspects of the script. Attempts were made to update it with the book writer’s permission but it didn’t work until the famed 1999 production where the director Michael Blakemore and contemporary American playwright John Guare came up with a revised script that put the musical back in circulation.

Another Problem with KISS ME KATE is that you must find singing actors who can do Shakespeare. I have seen many productions over the years that have fallen because one or more of these demands weren’t met. Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities has come up with a winner. South Bay’s production is even better that the 1999 production because of the inspired direction of Dan Mojica and super casting, Mr. Mojica’s work gets better at every mounting. While he may use the bare bones of a Broadway production he is not afraid to put his own creative stamp on it. Perhaps this production is better than the 1999 production because he is American and understands the idiom better than Brit Blakemore. He plays the script looser and funnier without sacrificing any of the Shakespeare. A great feat. His cast is terrific and for the most part better than the more recent production at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach that had some gross miscasting in one of the leads.  Kevin Bailey makes a virile and engaging Petruchio/Fred. Michelle Duffy, having just finished another Porter musical CANCAN at the Pasadena Playhouse, is perfect as the shrewish and misunderstood Kate/Lilly. They are supported by one of my favorite performers John Bisom whose performances are always real and multidimensional. He even makes my least favorite song “Bianca” work, even though better dancers have tried and failed. Lesli Margherita is a strong Bianca who can really sing and dance and sell a number. Personally I would have liked the character played a little softer but she is quite a performer. There is only one glaring misfire and that is in the portrayal of General Harrison Howell. It’s not real and needlessly over the top. All in all though South Bay should have a hit on its hands. Bravo!

REDONDO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER corner of Manhattan Beach Blvd. And Aviation Blvd.through Oct.  14th  310 372 4477