Charlie Weaver and Sydney Richards in Kiss Me, Kate at Curve Leicester. Picture: Tom Wren
Kiss Me, Kate at the Curve Studio, Leicester.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical that doesn’t get revived much these days, surprising for a show which won the first Tony Award for Best Musical back in 1949. It was one of the first musicals to be influenced by the game-changing Oklahoma!, using music and lyrics to drive plot and character development rather than the “cut and paste patchwork” construct of musicals up to that point, which merely inserted existing songs into thin stories to pad them out. With a biting script, a story full of farce and a rich Cole Porter score, this is a great choice for the National Youth Music Theatre.
Using the show-within-a-show format, Kiss Me, Kate tells of the production of a musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and the bitter feud between the show’s director and star Fred Graham (Charlie Weaver) and his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Sydney Richards), who plays his love interest onstage. The two angrily snipe at each other backstage (and barely conceal their contempt onstage either), not helped by Graham’s interest in another actress Lois Lane (Charlie Jackson). But Lane has her own problems when gambling boyfriend Bill (Joe Butler-Smith) signs an IOU in Graham’s name, which sends two old-timey gangsters (Raphael Goold and Georgie Lagden) knocking at Graham’s door. The scene is set for a farcical tale of mistaken identity, jealousy and rivalry, which all threatens to bring the curtain tumbling down around them.
Kiss Me, Kate is showing its age now, no real surprise as it approaches its 75th birthday. It lacks the timelessly-recognisable melodies of its Golden Age counterparts and narratively it can feel a bit of a slog, all of which may go some way to explaining why it doesn’t get performed much these days compared to other 1940s shows. Having said that, its characters do have distinctly more personality and backbone than other shows from that time, and audiences may enjoy the barbed repartee between Graham and Vanessi, rather than yet another tepid love story. It does feel overly long, very much a product of its time in terms of pacing, but strong characterisation and Bella and Samuel Spewack’s lively book certainly help to keep it engaging. Porter’s score equally feels a tad dated, although there’s no denying that the highlights (‘So in Love’, ‘Too Darn Hot’, ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’) still sound great.
The NYMT has done a fantastic job here, assembling a sizeable cast and delivering an arguably-average musical really well. Director Alex Sutton keeps things intimate but energetic, and there is a great sense of movement throughout. It may be modestly staged, but it uses it well, with one or two immersive elements that also add depth to the piece. From the opening scene, this is a show that dreams big (fitting for the cast of young hopefuls), and ‘Another Op’nin’, Another Show’ is brilliantly delivered, giving each cast member an introductory moment (however fleeting) and having them weave in and out of each other’s paths with military precision. It really is inventively done and sets the standard for the professional-feeling show that follows, which culminates in the fantastic Act II opener ‘Too Darn Hot’, showing off some impressively-dynamic choreography (Adam Haigh) and putting the young cast through their paces, which more than meet the challenge. It’s an electrifying scene and fully deserving of the rapturous applause it received.
It’s always exciting watching a NYMT show, and thinking that these are the theatre stars of tomorrow, with the seeds of potential Elphabas and Valjeans developing right in front of us. It’s certainly a talented bunch, with Weaver and Richards making strong and likeable leads and showing off great voices. Jackson also stands out as Lois, belting her numbers with an enviable voice, and there are a host of terrific dancers in the mix here too. Also, special mention must go to Goold and Lagden as the bumbling gangsters, particularly Lagden who steals the show from everyone. This was especially true on opening night when the performer had to cope with some unexpected prop placement and managed to redirect the scene with remarkable improvisational skill – the scene became a highlight of the night.
Kiss Me, Kate does unfortunately stand to become a museum piece sooner than the stronger musicals of its time, but NYMT has delivered a fantastic version of it thanks to a helping of acerbic wit and a talented cast of future stars. We look forward to seeing what they do next.
Rob Bartley