Kiss Me Kate Review: July 2013

Saturday, 6 July 2013

HEIDI DINE

MY REVIEW

On the 27^th February, I went to see the musical Kiss Me Kate which was performed at The Old Vic in London, directed by Trevor Nun, music and lyrics by Cole Porter and choreography by Stephen Mear.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, as I had never seen anything like it before. I loved the fact that ‘Kiss Me Kate’ is a play within a play not a traditional musical. The main reason being that it was quite an old fashioned musical not like the modern musicals e.g. Matilda, Blood Brothers or Spring Awakenings. Everything fitted so well into the 50’s era; the costumes, the music even the language was accurate. I think this also affected the target audience, as the original film was released in 1953 the main bulk of the audience was quite elderly. At some moments in the show the older part of the audience would laugh but the younger generation wouldn’t get the joke much like Pantomimes with their innuendos (They tell me the Prince’s balls get bigger every year). I thought that the overall show was highly entertaining, there was good energy from the entire cast in the dances especially ‘Too Darn Hot’ and ‘Tom Dick or Harry’. Each scene was delivered with a clear and meaningful performance. For example, at the beginning of the show ‘Wundabar’, performed by Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, showed that they still loved each other even though only moments before they had mentioned how happy the couple were now that their divorce was final. This all happened within one of the opening scenes. I believe it is important to have romance as a theme in musicals as it has always been a main factor and it has always worked well. It’s something that everyone can relate to or something that people dream about, it keeps the audience interested.

At moments the plot was easy to follow, but at times it was quite difficult to understand the language. Mr. Graham’s wedding flowers were sent to the wrong girl, this caused anger and frustration in Miss Vanessi. This was visible throughout the performance of the Shakespeare play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. She would go off script but still remain in character, still speaking in old English. I thought this was very clever and very comical especially when Lilli would be heard of stage screaming “YOU BASTARD!”. I also found it funny when Mr. Graham had had enough of Lilli’s misbehaving and quickly came out of his Shakespearian character warning her of how he would give Lilli the biggest ‘pounding’ of her life on stage and he did by repeatedly slapping her on the bottom like a child over his knee. But at moments the plot was hard to follow as at some points I and many of the younger generation struggled to understand the language, as most of the performance was in Old English but I managed to understand the gist of the scene by watching the actor’s body language. I also noticed that when the actors would took off their wigs that the language would change back to the 50’s style dialect. This was helpful to me as I knew when the characters would return to their original dialect making their conversation’s easier to understand.

I found the two gangsters very funny; how they appeared on the stage wearing an ill fitted costume with their suits still visible underneath and when one of the gangsters still had his sunglasses on the whole audience laughed. I thought these two characters were very good comic relief from the quite confusing old English language which was spoken throughout the majority of the play. Their song ‘Brush up your Shakespeare’ was comical because the audience thought the song had finished but the characters kept reappearing and singing another verse or chorus.

I thought that the aesthetics were very clever and imaginative. When the actors were on stage the lights would be on them like a normal performance but when the actors were backstage looking through the curtain the lights were set so that it looked like the small amounts of light were coming though the curtains. At some points, the lights would even be facing the audience. This made the play within a play format authentic. I also liked when Lilli Vanessi was throwing a tantrum and she was not stood where she was set to stand so the spotlight was not on her person but on her set position. She then had to hint to the lighting to move and follow her as she was obviously not staying to the script.

I thought that the set was very impressive, the dressing rooms next door to each other, the dressing tables on the same piece of furniture just opposite, how when the taming of the shrew was being performed the set was very medieval and always colourless it would be black and white, very simple but very effective. The set played an important part in the show as it showed the audience when “The Taming of the Shrew” was performed or when the actual show was performed.

My favourite part of the show was the song ‘Tom,Dick or Harry’ because it had the whole cast performing a tap routine including parting the stage and doing different phrases at the same time but then later performing it all in unison it was such a feel good number. But I later found out that this dance was performed to a click track, which I was slightly disappointed with. However, when I found out the reasons that companies use click tracks, I was much more understanding. If the cast are doing up to 8 shows a week, then they are going to be tired and some of the taps might not come out as anticipated or missed. It’s also used to keep a steady beat, as the orchestra have to keep up with the performers so it saves them chasing. But overall, I thought the score was very good. The music would change to fit the mood of the scene or song but also to the era. On every set change during the play medieval music would play to refer back to the time period.

Overall I really enjoyed the performance and I would definitely go back to watch it again, it had all the basic ingredients of a musical; songs, dances but with a very clever twist. I feel that the only piece of criticism I have is that I thought the ending was rushed. Lilli Vanessi went away with her fiancé to Washington but then suddenly returned within 5 minutes and kissed Fred. But it was very entertaining and clever how ‘Kiss me Kate’ was a play within a play. The ensemble came on stage and started setting up for the performance before the actual show had started. They started to drift onto stage whilst the audience were taking their seats. The pianist was setting up his sheet music and the cleaner was dusting the floor. It made the audience feel involved with the production as the house lights were only dimmed and not turned off. The choreography was brilliant, ‘Too Darn Hot’ was a very jazzy number whereas ‘We Open in Venice’ was a Shakespearian number and you could really see the contrast. If I could change one thing about the show it would be to use less Shakespearian language, by doing this it would make it more accessible to the younger members of the audience as it would be easier to understand. Overall, it was a pleasure to watch and I really enjoyed the performance.

Thursday, 4 July 2013

CATHRYN TURP

MY REVIEW

On the 27th February we visited The Old Vic to watch the matinee performance of
Kiss me Kate directed by Trevor Nunn, Choreography throughout by Stephen Mear
and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.

The tale of Kiss me Kate is a show within a show of how a cast work on
Shakespeare’s production in a musical of The Taming of the Shrew on stage and
back stage. The show included romance, gangsters and much more.

The theatre where the performance was being shown was very old and historic
looking. This fitted the criteria for the show being performed as it is a well-known
story and has been for many years.

The staging was set up as if we were back stage at the show. There were clothes
rails and a piano and clothes hooks and stage doors. When we were seated and
slowly settling into our seats the actors of the performance came on stage as if they
were setting up for a performance. This set the mood and slowly caught people’s
attention that the show was beginning.

I think the way the actors came on stage as if they were back stage at a performance
gathering things and then the opening song was brought in by a solo singer and the
chorus joined in. The dance of the opening number was well choreographed, it
included warm up for the actors that would be performing after they had all arrived
on set.

The costumes that were worn on stage were period related throughout and when
they were performing The Taming of the Shrew the costumes were changed to
relate.

The stage was well lit and you could tell the change in the lighting when we were in
the dressing room, as there were not only different props but also the lighting was
made to look differently.

During the performance the props and setting were bought on for The Taming of the
Shrew in a box and the actors pulled it out and stuck it up. This was very effective as
I don’t think many people had seen it before and it caught the audience’s attention. I
think it was also effective because it was made to look like part of the play and it
smoothly ran alongside it. It didn’t look messy, it looked very clean and well
rehearsed which is good because some of the changes looked very technical.

The sound quality was very good and everything said and sung could be heard
clearly. I think the accent that the actor Hannah Waddingham played as the
character of Katherine Minola was very effective during the song I hate men. I think
think this because it caught the audiences attention and because she was acting the
song it was easier to understand what she was singing about and understand the
words. I also think the way she changed her voice when playing Katherine and also
playing Lilli Vanessi was incredibly talented and skilful. It portrayed the two different
characters very well. There was a distinctive difference between the two characters
being played.

This version of the play that we saw was different and unique because of the fact
that Adam Garcia was casted to play the part of Bill Calhoun/ Lucentio. I think that
the tap dancing that they choreographed just for Adam Garcia’s scene was put in the
correct place and fitted well into the show. This was a good way to catch the
audience’s attention and keep them interested in what was going on.

The actors facial expressions were brilliant and even the people at the back were
able to see the difference in their expressions as they were big and bold. There was
clearly a difference.

I think overall that the production was well put on and very entertaining. There was a
clear difference in the scenes and when we were back stage and on stage and also
in the two cast changes that were portrayed. I didn’t understand the ending when Lilli
left Fred to go with her new partner and that she came back. I understood that she
came back on stage but I thought she was playing a different character. I spoke to
other people who knew what was going on and maybe it was just my prospective of
it. But I think that the ending could have been made simpler for people to understand
what was going on more.

PHOEBE BENNETT - BLOIS

MY REVIEW

When I went to see the production of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ at the Old Vic Theatre in London on the 27th February 2013, I was more than a little dubious. Before the show began, I was under the impression that the show would just not be my cup of tea. However my opinion was changed by the time I left. I found myself humming along and tapping my feet the majority of the way through having thoroughly enjoyed it.

The show was directed by Trevor Nunn whom has spent almost 20 years as the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company and went on to hold the same title in the National Theatre. He has also had a lot of success with directing other Musicals in both the West End and Broadway as well as directing over 30 of William Shakespeare’s plays. The Musical Director was Gareth Valentine whom although does not have a large amount of accolades, he has worked in the West End on over 20 Musicals as well as conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra. The choreographer, Stephen Mear, has a wide and expansive range of experience within the Musical Theatre and has also won an Olivier award for Best Choreography for his work on Mary Poppins in 2005 as well as winning various other awards. Looking at the achievements alone that this trio have earned over the years, a good musical is already forming.

The two leads in the show were Fred Graham (Alex Bourne) and Lilli Vanessi (Hannah Wadingham) who carried both their entire cast and the audience through the story. Both performed amazingly but for me without a doubt Hannah stole the show. Whether it be when talking with her fiancé in an almost sickening way, or her amazingly bitter singing in ‘I Hate Men’, Waddingham could do no wrong in my eyes

The format of the show was also very cleverly laid out for the audience. The concept in itself was absolute genius. How many other musicals can boast of a layering of shows? Although confusing at first if not much is known on the show, it quickly becomes clear when the characters are backstage as their normal characters, and when they are on stage as their acting characters. Other than the language used, the other giveaway that the scene was changing was the brilliant scenery which seemed to move seamlessly with the actors. Simple yet effective.

The musical in itself is very cleverly written because of the actors playing a character, whom are playing another character themselves. It also means that the majority of the songs are placed well enough that they do not seem abnormal within a real life situation which although is a common convention of a Musical, does often leave me thinking ‘Was that song really necessary?’

On the flipside however, I feel that some of the jokes fell a bit flat on some of the younger audience members whether due to its content or the phrasing of it. One other thing that particularly bothers me with any musical is the thirst people have for a big name in a show. Adam Garcia is the example for this production and personally I feel that there was no need for him to be there as I’m sure any other performer would’ve been able to perform his role equally as well, if not better.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed watching Kiss Me Kate and although the show has now closed, if it were to open again, I would recommend it to anyone!

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

JENNIFER OWENS

MY REVIEW

On Wednesday 27th of February my college class went to see Kiss Me Kate at the Old Vic. Trevor Nunn’s revival of the 1948 classic, I can safely say, was too darn hot. With music and lyrics by Cole Porter and the book written by Samuel and Bella Spewack the musical was just as fun and loving as it was 65 years back. There's no doubting the talent on display – either in Nunn's cast or Porter's blissful score, which includes ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’. And there's plenty of appeal in the Spewack's witty book, in which backstage rivalries and love affairs spill over on stage as a theatre company produces an out-of-town musical version of ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’

The show stared much talent including Hannah Waddingham and Alex Bourne. Also a familiar face, Adam Garcia tapped his way into the limelight as leading role, Bill. Hannah Waddingham stood out for me, changing her vocal tone throughout. ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ showcased her strong, operatic voice in contrast to her modern tone in the backstage scenes, with smooth licks and riffs. This was effective because it helped to distinguish the two different characters, which is essential to this format of musical. However I was let down by Adam Garcia. He gave an egotistical impression, almost as if he was too good for this musical. I was unimpressed with the click track he danced to in the added tap number because he is a professional tap dancer and should be able to perform this live.

The format of this musical is different to the average performance because it features a play within a musical. This isn’t something that is done often; in fact it’s quite rare. I feel this worked really well because the setting and lighting was well executed. When the performers were backstage there was a light projecting onto the set, cast extras were walking back and forth so shadows were formed. This gave the impression that ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ was still being performed whilst the leads were arguing and continuing discussions of their personal life. I liked the way Hannah Waddinghams character overlapped her offstage anger with her ‘Shrew’ character. This was cleverly done and worked well.

The original score is written by Cole Porter in which the music is classical with a alight urban fizz. That urban fizz is double the fun in this revival. The musical number ‘Too Darn Hot’ was the highest point of the show. The music over powered the atmosphere in the room and lifted the whole theatre into the sexy number and had everyone out their seats. The band in full swing enhanced the dancers on stage, who gave the number exuberance and excitement. Splits and kicks filled the stage and the technique of all this was bang on point.

Frankly, nights at the theatre don’t often come more enjoyable than this!

SIAN REBECCA JOHNSON

MY REVIEW

‘Kiss Me Kate’ was directed by Trevor Nunn when it was performed at the Old Vic Theatre and he did an outstanding job. It is set in 1940’s America about a theatre company running a production of the Shakespeare play “Taming of the Shrew”. The plot revolves around the love story of the divorced couple Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham (Hannah Waddingham and Alex Bourne).

Waddingham and Bourne had such brilliant on stage chemistry; it was a delight to watch. The whole cast between them have a fantastic history in theatre and putting them together with such talent set a high standard to follow for anyone who wishes to follow by reviving the musical again. Stephen Mears choreography was second to none, I found that his work in ‘Too Darn Hot’ was the highlight of the show for me, it really made me feel like inspired in what I do that one day I could be on that stage.

The vocals in the show were absolutely fantastic; Hannah Waddingham’s portrayal of ‘I Hate Men’ was my favourite number of the show with her vocals being absolutely on point and her facial expressions throughout really helped in telling the story she was trying to tell.

I feel I must point out it was a pleasure to watch Adam Garcia tap in person, I have always wanted to see him tap dancing live and he did not disappoint, I couldn’t look away from him when he was onstage singing or dancing, he commands your attention effortlessly.

The only bad thing I will say to put the show down was that at three hours, it is lengthy and sometimes the plot could drag a little bit. All in all however, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone, the cast were brilliant, the set design and costumes were outstanding and the direction and choreography where absolutely fantastic. A must see musical if you have the time to see it.

ELEANOR HUDSON

MY REVIEW

Kiss Me Kate has a show within a show structure, with a troublesome love story linking the two. They've taken Shakespeare's 'The Taming Of The Shrew' and revived it, however Broadway co-stars and (still madly in love with each other) divorcees, Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham, get slightly more into character through some behind the scenes conflict. This comical production is filled with energising dances, that even make the audience feel out of breath and heart melting performances which leave not only the cast breathless but the audience as well.

Director, Trevor Nunn, has taken ''Kiss Me Kate'' and revived it to a new, bigger, higher level. With bigger dancers, better lights and set even down to the smallish details, they have been perfected.

Starting with the lighting and set. Most of the lighting was a general wash, for a realistic effect. The only time lights were used to create an emotion was during 'Too Damn Hot', where a gentle, orange wash was used, this helped the audience feel the heart which added nicely to the body language and motions they were pursuing.

I felt that the way they changed set was incredibly creative and clever. Nunn used almost no blackouts, and only one curtain. Small boxes were carried on by the chorus and placed centre stage. Then the chorus dancers made changing scene into a routine, by using polls to gracefully uplift a new setting. The set was always in black and white and almost looked as if it was a picture drawn onto paper. This prevents distraction for the dramatic performance in front. Also during Shakespeare's production, the chorus costumes are also black and white which looks lovely on stage lots of bold patterns, however your attention is still drawn to the characters.

Back to the beginning, the show didn't really have a start. The cast slowly come on as members of the production team and stage setting up the lights and set. On stage right is someone getting ready at the piano, at this point the audience are still in full conversation and are wondering why the stalls lights have not been dimmed as of yet. Slowly, the chorus dancers and cast flow onto stage and get into places. Nunn's decision executed 'another opening, another show' in a different fashion. The routine was full out and there were added harmonies to make the song more interesting.

The dance costumes were very 70's which modernised the era in which the show was originally set. The differences in costume also helped to show the audience when they were back stage and when they were doing the show, there never seemed to be a point when the audience was confused as to where the characters were. The language used also helped set and contrast the scenes in different time periods, for example when the actors were performing in ' The Taming Of The Shrew, they would use Elizabethan language

REBECCA CORBIN

MY REVIEW

On the 27^th of February, Trevor Nunn’s production of Kiss Me Kate at the Old Vic Theatre won me over with its modern yet old fashioned take on such a classic musical. Before seeing the show I wasn’t as enthusiastic about seeing it as I should have been because it wasn’t a show I have looked into before therefore I didn’t know much about it. However this musical definitely proves ‘never judge a book by its cover’ as it totally won me over. To start with I thought the casting was fantastic, Alex Bourne as Fred Graham/Petruchio was great casting he brought an arrogance to the role which made every audience member fall in love with him through his comic lines to his sometimes loving nature. When he was playing both his characters you could see the difference between the two but you could still see that the love mess between him and Lilli Vanessi was hot on his mind. I am a big fan of Adam Garcia I think his such a great performer however I didn’t understand why he was dancing to a click track, I’m hoping this was more for the chorus than him as he is a phenomenal tapper. However putting the click track to one side, what he was doing on stage was amazing and to be able to witness such talent really helped me to enjoy the musical a lot more. He looked quite smug through his tap number which I feel like was part of his character as I met him afterwards and he is lovely, so in the case of changing from himself to a different character I feel like he did this very well. Two other characters that stood out for me was the two gangsters, first man played by David Burt and second man played by Clive Rowe. I thought these two characters were a breath of fresh air to the musical, especially their song ‘brush up your Shakespeare’, I don’t think I have laughed so much at one song before, these two brilliant performers really made the parts their own and did a fantastic job. However performance of the show has to go to Hannah Waddington as Lilli Vanessi when she sang ‘I Hate Men’ I thought this was funny, yet sincere and I think every woman in the audience agreed with some part of that song or have done in moments of their life. Even though in this song she was playing her Shakespeare character Kate, you could tell she was singing it as Lilli but still stayed in character of her part at all times, and I applaud that.

I thought the set was very clever and the way that the scenery for the Shakespeare scenes popped out of the ground onto poles in the air but it was done through dance so it didn’t look out of place or random at all. I also liked the fact that when scenes were going on back stage you could see a light at the back of the stage with people moving around in the shadows to make it look like the show was still going on, on stage, which was very clever.

Over all I thought everything about the show was fantastic my only critisisum would be that the Shakespeare could have been slowed down slightly because sometimes I got lost on what was happening and why people were laughing, but apart from that I would recommend everyone I know to go and see the show.

CONNIE KINCH-REED

MY REVIEW

On Wednesday the 27^th of February we took a trip to the old Victoria in London’s west end to see ‘Kiss me Kate’. Trevor Nunn’s revival of the musical, based on Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the shrew’, was spectacular and it was great to see something completely different that I normally see.

Kiss me Kate is a show within a show and this was made very clear throughout. Sometimes I found myself feeling so drawn into ‘The taming of the shrew’ that I would sometimes forget that it wasn’t the main show. This was done cleverly in regards to lighting. There were dim lights and UV lights for backstage and then full exciting lights for the ‘Taming of the shrew’. Also for the scenes that were performed off stage while ‘taming of shrew’ was still being performed, there was clever lighting that let the audience see that it is being performed off stage. You could still hear the play going on in the background and you could see the lights changing from the tiny slit of light that was coming from the wings of ‘Taming of the shrew’.

I found the vocals amazing, especially the faultless accapella start of ‘Another opening, Another show’ building up into a high energy, all singing, all dancing number. The song was jam packed and there was always something to look at. It left the audience wanting more, which is exactly what an opening number should do.

The two lead roles, Hannah Waddingham playing ‘Lilli Vanessa’ and Alex Bourne playing ‘Fred Graham’, were outstanding and clearly bounced off each other. Both vocals were immaculate and I couldn’t fault them in anything they did. In the musical there is a constant love, hate battle going on both on and off the stage, which is highly amusing for that audience to watch. One of my favourite parts is when Hannah sings ‘I hate men’. The lyrics in the song are things that people in the audience can relate to and as it is sung directly to the audience the audience members feel part of the play which also leaves them wanting more.

I also enjoyed the songs ‘Too darn hot’ and ‘Brush up your Shakespeare’. ‘Too darn hot’ was cheesy and full of energy and was a great way to start the second act. It gets the audience drawn in right from the start. ‘Brush up your Shakespeare’ was hilarious and makes constant referrals to titles of Shakespeare’s plays which the audience found hilarious. They were typical old time, dumb American gangsters which made it even funnier to watch them sing and dance. The fact they could really sing also added to the comedy.

This is also the first musical I have seen where the set come out of a box. There were little props and scenery, but the scenery and props that there were had a major effect. In the ‘Taming of the shrew’ the props were sheets cut into shapes and fixed onto the stage or held up by string. My favourite one for example was a tree. Each of the branches come out and filled the stage. It was truly captivating.

Overall I enjoyed the show very much. I think this type of show is aimed more at an older audience as it was set in the 1930’s. I found the speech very fast when speaking in Shakespearian which for me found it a little hard to follow which means I missed some of the humour. Kiss me Kate is not a show I would normally go and see but I am glad I have seen it. I would go and see it a second time as maybe I might understand a little more what was going on.

MELISSA KNAPP

MY REVIEW

On Wednesday 27^th February we went to see Kiss Me Kate in the old Victoria theatre.

Firstly I think that they cast this very well. I know the show quite well so I know what I was expecting of characters. Hannah Wadingham was sensational as Lilli/Kate and played the part so well. I enjoyed all of the cast and thought that they were all very talented and did each role justice. However I feel that the actress who played Lois was perhaps too much and was quite annoying. The actress who played Hattie was very funny, the part isn’t that big but she really made a good impression and made the part her own and had me in stitches. Adam Garcia as Bill was very impressive his dancing was very good and I was drawn to him whilst watching group numbers.

(add a plot) I really enjoyed the show itself and thought the plot and storyline was very different and original. It was very interesting and funny. The actors did a very good job of making sure they were different to the two characters they were playing so that you didn’t get confused. It was very clear who they were playing at what time, which made the show more enjoyable.

I think that the costumes were very good. The detail on them were good and there was a clear difference between each character with the costumes. The play ‘Taming of the shrew’ the costumes were in the right period and quite old fashioned which made it clear to the audience what era it was in and when it was the Shakespeare play. The other costumes were fairly normal and quite glamorous compared to the others, they were fairly modern and the colours were more toned down.

The set was very clever and I was very impressed with it. It was simple but effective. The set was very important for this show as it needed to be clear when they were on the stage for the show they was putting on as opposed to the show we were watching. Also when the two main characters were in their dressing room they had separate rooms but actually in real life they could see each other and basically walk through a wall but they actors did well in not showing that they could clearly see one another and the set was well desgined so it wasn’t too obvious.

The director did a very good job of directing this show, as I have said before it is a hard show to put on as if it isn’t done right it can become very confusing and distracting. The audience need to be made clear of when they are acting in their play and when they are just being their characters. The director needs to make sure this all happens and I thought he did it very well as it was clear and I wasn’t once confused. Also every performer knew exactly what they were doing and not once did I spot someone out of time or muck up.

There were many memorable scenes but the most memorable for me was the scene in the dressing room where Lilli realises she does love her ex husband. It was a good scene and quite funny but also emotional which is why it stuck in my mind.

The music in the show is very good. The songs are very versatile. They are funny and sad and happy and cute and that is was makes a show interesting.

I really enjoyed this show and would go and see it again.

CARLA HAMMERSLEY

MY REVIEW

The show-within-a-show musical, Kiss Me Kate, has had many mixed reviews. Some saying it was too long, some criticising the actors and some say it was very slow-moving. However, my opinion is completely opposite. When I took a trip to the Old Vic Theatre to see Kiss Me Kate last month, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I think this is a hard musical to tackle because it requires a lot of set changes to make the audience see what is backstage and what is on stage- which some people may find hard to follow but I believe this production made all of this very clear. Kiss Me Kate is a well written musical which is based on a group of actors putting on a musical version of the Shakespeare production ‘Taming of the Shrew’. The leading male character, Fred Graham (Alex Bourne) is re-united with ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Hannah Waddingham) who are both playing the leading roles in the Shakespeare play.

They first see each other at a rehearsal, where Lilli makes a very strong entrance coming across as elegant, intimidating and stubborn– she reminded me of 101 Dalmatians’ Cruella De Vil! The ex-couple are constantly arguing with big temper issues coming from Lilli that result in screams, slaps and spanking- on stage! After an argument near the beginning of the show, the couple finally calm down and seem to remember the feelings they used to have. However, these are soon forgotten when Lilli realises that a bunch of flowers- a replica of their wedding bouquet- are accidentally sent to her when they were especially for Fred’s lover, Lois! The moment she realises is on stage during The Shrew where Lilli’s temper burns up and starts hitting Fred, but the rest of the characters have to stay in their Shakespeare character. As confusing as it sounds, the show can be followed very easily.

Hannah Waddingham portrayed the character of Lilli/Kate with fantastic comedy, emotion and kept a strong presence throughout. Her incredible vocal skills during the song ‘Kiss Me Kate’ left me in shock during the interval. Her fast moving, tongue-twisting words were comedic and amazingly achieved with her strong soprano. My attention was also captured in the unforgettable number, ‘I Hate Men’ where Waddingham sings with teeth baring anger which is in the character of Kate, but also has Lilli’s fury shining through.

Alex Bourne who plays the Shakespeare play’s producer, director and leading man, Fred Graham (Shrew character Petruchio) has excellent comedic timing and fantastic vocals which keep the show moving at a great pace.

One man who steals the show at many points is Adam Garcia. His incredible tap dancing is shown off in ‘Always True To You in My Fashion’ which is sung to him by Holly Dale Spencer who plays Lois. Garcia’s priceless tapping was well-received by the audience, resulting in a huge applause and everyone wanting more.

Clive Rowe and David Burt got quite a few laughs from the audience as the debt-collecting gangsters. When it came to their main number ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’, they completely stole the stage. However, with two encores it started to drag and the funniness started to disappear.

Stephen Mear’s choreography was spotlighted terrifically during the opening number of act two, ‘Too Darn Hot’. This interesting, fun song captured attention from the audience within seconds. Jason Pennycooke’s amazing dance skills were broadcasted through the theatre, leaving myself and the audience very impressed. Not forgetting the ensemble who completed the scene with their constant characteristics and fantastic dancing.

I enjoyed the majority of songs in the musical, although some of them dragged occasionally. The catchy lyrics, written by Tony Award winning Cole Porter, left the audience with high spirits when the show had finished. In my opinion, the West End return of Kiss Me Kate at the Old Vic Theatre had a great impact and left me wanting to see it for a second time.

SOPHIE BENNETT

MY REVIEW

Well what a confusing show! I found that this is a show that you will either love or hate and I loved it! It was pretty quick and confusing so you had to pay attention but it was definitely entertaining.

Firstly the scenery was very clever and well thought out. The way that they were so swift and subtle at changing and moving the props and scenery around was very good. They had just the right amount of props on the stage so that it was too crowded but also not empty on the stage and the props also fit in with the time zones of the production. They used things such as, tables, chairs, a sofa bed bit, doors, make-up dressing tables with lights and everything that was needed, phones, other costumes etc. The colours that were used for the scenery were good as they weren’t to bold but not too light either, the colours all managed to balance themselves out. My most favourite part of the scenery was when they had fabric that they put up and it made a 3D object out of sheet material for example, one was a room in a castle.

Secondly the costumes were very interesting and intriguing. They were very eye catching and exciting to see. The colours were amazing as they suited the emotions of some of the characters and with others they went well with the scenery colours. The designs of the costumes were very exotic and well suited to the time zones. They were all different but also the same, the women had dresses/skirts or high waisted trousers or shorts and then a crop top or something and character shoes. The men on the other hand wore clothes that suited their characters so one wore army officer uniform, another wore black tie suits and the rest wore baggy shirts, black scruffy trouser and scruffy shoes.

Thirdly the acting was amazing. There were so many emotions that went into the performance; it was truly believable and inspiring to watch. The singing was good; there were a few off notes but apart from them, they did a fantastic job and sang with such confidence and pride. The dancing too was very good; the steps were accurate and strong. The routines were very polished and down to a ‘T’ with no one putting a foot out of place.

Overall I found the performance very exciting, very well coordinated and polished and also very entertaining. The layout and staging was very well set out and thought about and you could see that a lot of hard work and commitment went into this whole performance.

LEANNE COLLARD

MY REVIEW

After hearing so many good comments about this show, I was excited to go and see Kiss Me Kate.

Many people had told me that it was a good musical to go and see. However, after seeing this performance, I have to disagree with this.

The first thing that caught my eye in the theatre was the set. Personally, I feel that the set was boring and plain and therefore at first impressions I was not impressed. When the actual show was starting, the house lights were still on, the audience were chatting and were not paying attention to the characters on stage. I feel that this was a very poor way to open the show.
Thus being that although nothing major was happening, the characters were just entering. I feel that the show was not clearly introduced due to this.

If I were to have been the director for this, I would have opened the show with the opening song "Another Opening", with a spotlight on the first character to sing then bring the rest of the cast and set in from a blackout. I would do this so that the audience clearly knew that the show was starting and I feel it would make an impact as it would be a dramatic start, due to the vivid spotlight, but then the mood would be lightened as the blackout was slowly drawn out.

Not only did I feel that the opening was not right, I feel that the way the actual show was set, the way it had been written was too confusing. The fact it was a play within a play can be very hard to address clearly and I feel it was not clearly performed. To support this, when changing back and forth from the inner story to the framing device, I feel it was not clearly expressed due to the story being hard to understand from the start.

However, on the contrary, what I did understand, I thought was a very clever concept. How the main theme throughout was a love hate relationship and expressing how even though two lovers may not always see eye to eye and face difficulty throughout their time together, that in the end, love conquers all. Also, I like the love triangle idea of how on one hand you have all the fun that you never experience with some people, yet on the other hand, there is all you ever wanted. I liked how this was portrayed within both plays and how they both suited the actual situation between the characters. I feel personally that to help enhance this, more special effects could have been used. For example, I feel the lighting was very plain and boring and for scenes where it was the two lovers, I would personally turn the lights down in the heart to heart romantic scenes to help set the mood. I feel as the moods were not clearly identified, it classes as a factor as to why I did not enjoy the performance.

As well as this, I also feel that the characters could be unprofessional at times throughout their stage time. I found this occurred with more than one performer, however I noticed it most with Adam Garcia, who regularly seemed to corpse from his character by looking as though he was not focused, was not enjoying it and overall frankly quite bored when he was not speaking. On the other hand this may have just been this character, but I feel the way his character was portrayed was not in such a way that looking around the stage (whilst others were watching what was happening) was acceptable. To further support this, I did not feel the relaxed nature...

This is another element that made me lose interest. If the atmosphere given off by the performers is negative, and if they are acting as though they do not want to be there, then it makes the audience feel the same and this is the vibe I received. Therefore I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to.
On the other hand, the two main characters within this show played their characters very well and I loved how Hannah Waddingham had portrayed her character and how well she performed considering her moods were very unstable and had to jump from one mood to another. I feel personally she was the most outstanding character within the show. Also I loved how Alex Bourne devised his character. His character remained calm and collected throughout, even in the most confronting situations, for example with the gangsters, yet he rarely lost his temper. I feel this was effective as it added layers to the performance and made it more diverse as there seemed to be a lot of tension between his character and that of Hannah. Therefore his character was the "peace keeper".

Despite all of this, I still personally did not enjoy the performance. I feel that the storyline was not clear and the moods throughout were not made evident, therefore leaving the audience perplexed as to how they were to feel about the certain scene. I also feel that it was not made exciting enough, the use of props was different as to how they created scenes through the white cloth, however, for me I was not intrigued.

In my opinion, this show did not leave me with that "wow" factor feeling, nor did the music within the show or the actual performance. Due to this, I would not recommend it to anyone as I feel it is not worth spending money to go and see to be confused throughout and unamused. Yet saying this, personally this was not my kind of musical. I am not enthusiastic about Shakespeare as I do not understand the language therefore do not enjoy it, however I loved the storyline.

This performance was different and an OK show, I personally would not go and see it again as to me it did not fulfill my expectations and I was disappointed by the overall show.

HARRY SPARKES

MY REVIEW

I went to see Kiss me Kate on the 27^th February at the old Vic. I thought the show the show was a spectacular master peace by the Award winning director Trevor Nunn who makes a return at the Old Vic after directing 30 of Shakespeare’s plays, Trevor Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the royal National Theatre, and currently the Theatre Royal at Haymarket. He has directed musical and drama for the stage also opera. Nunn is well – known for directing two blockbusters musical Cats (1981) and Les Misérables (1985). He has been nominated for the Tony Award for the Best Direction of a Musical, Best Direction of a play, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director. This features music and lyrics by the amazing Cole Porter, including ‘Too darn Hot’ which would keep you humming or sighing along with them.

Stephen Mear as choreographer which gave us some breath tacking dances which would leave you on the edge of the seats breathless, in 2005 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Choreography, for their work on the new West End musical Mary Poppins. This production later transferred to Broadway in 2006, being nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 2007. With the amazing breath taking musical director Gareth Valentine.

Hannah Waddingham as Lili/Katherine best known as jools in Footballers Wifes or the Award winning film Les Misérables as Factory Worker She is best known for her contribution to West End musical theatre, particularly her performances in the original London production of Spamalot, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods and most recently, The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West. Hannah Waddingham a fresh and young actress which was come strate from land of oz to 1948. I felt she worked well playing as Lili/Katherine and preformed to the best of her ability she bring and aggressive and strong performance to the stage.

Adam Garcia as Bill gave a fresh and light fell to the stage which lifted to the stage with big sparkling tap routine which left you breathless by the end of it. I felt that his tapping was better than his acting and singing.

I feel that the staging and the set of the show brought a new fell to theater and left wanting to find what was going to happen next. If I was to see the show again it would wont the show to have less chess because I felt that they tried to make the show funny and some bits was funny but other bits of the show just left you sitting there not knowing if you was meant to laugh.

If I could improve the show I would make the show less funny and turn it into more of a serious show because I felt that the funny bits in the show just mucked up the rest of the show and the show could have been show much better if there was a more of a drama feel to it. I would rate the show a 4 out of 5.

Who's in it?

GEMMA SIBTHORPE

MY REVIEW

On the 27^th of February, the musical theatre department of South Essex College went to see a matinee performance of ‘Kiss me Kate.’ I had previously seen the show in college once before, so I knew what the show was about and what to roughly expect.

I felt the opening number was very captivating, it was lively, bright, colourful, and the music was very feel good.

Because the opening number was good it meant that the audience wanted to see more, which is what an opening number should do; draw you in ready for the show.

The entire cast was very strong, especially the characters Lilli Vanessi (Katharine), Fred Graham (Pertruchio) and Hattie. These were the particular characters that stood out for me, I felt that Lilli Vanessi, played by Hannah Waddingham, was perfect and it was made clear in her version of ‘I hate men.’ I felt that she played this role brilliantly especially in this song, she showed very good change of character, so you could tell when she was playing Lilli Vanessi and when she was playing Katherine. Although she becomes a little bit of Lilli Vanessi when she is playing Katharine in ‘The Shrew’ you could still see a clear difference, this also went for the character Fred Graham, played by Alex Bourne, he also showed the clear difference between his two characters.

I felt that the character Hattie, played by Wendy Mae Brown, was the comical piece to the show and even though she was a smaller role when she had parts and lines she was what made a large portion of the audience laugh.

I felt the lighting in the show was fantastic. The lighting changed from backstage to the show ‘the shrew’ it was very clear when they were in their dressing room and when they were playing their characters in the performance. Also the lighting, when backstage, was almost showing a performance in the background, when the characters were backstage in the background it looked like a show was going on, which I felt was very effective.

Another good thing about the lighting was when they were in the performance ‘the shrew’ when Lilli Vanessi finds out the flowers and card weren’t for her during the performance and starts acting up the lighting helped make this look like everything was going wrong. Because obviously in s show you would have set lighting when the character Katharine was not in the place she was meant to be the lighting was where she should’ve been, a very effective way to show the audience it was not going to plan.

I thought the scenery that was all the sheets was very effective, they way the cast itself would pull the scenery out and back again I thought was good because It took away the break in between scenes, normally you would have a short break looking at a blackout whereas in this show you didn’t you watched the cast pulling out the stage, because ‘kiss me Kate’ is a show in a show, and you see backstage this was a very good effect.

Overall I enjoyed the performance and thought the entire show had some very positive points, I’m very glad I went to see the show, but don’t think I would necessarily rush down to see it again, as although there were some brilliant things, I felt it wasn’t as eye catching as some other musicals in the west end at the moment and I think ‘kiss me Kate’ only appeals to a small range of people.

CALLUM TAYLOR

MY REVIEW

Trevor Nunn directs the revival of Kiss me Kate at the Old Vic Theatre which proves to be a hit with the oldies. With the musical direction of Gareth Valentine, this show offers laughter and catchy tunes in a musical classic.

Kiss Me Kate is a play within a play and incorporates Shakespeare’s story of ‘Taming of the Shrew’, however Kiss Me Kate shows both offstage and onstage scenes to tell the story. It follows a struggling relationship between two lovers (Villi Vanessi and Fred Graham) who play the main characters in Taming of the Shrew (Katherine Minola and Petruchio). They bring their personal life on-stage which affects their performance, we can see this through the clever lighting directions and speech, e.g the spotlight will trail off in one direction as Villi, who plays Katherine, storms off in the opposite direction. Their performances stood out the most due to their strong vocal ability and old fashioned acting technique.

Adam Garcia stole the show with a tap routine in the second act gave the musical a lighter feel and lifted the mood of the audience, as the first half was very heavy with Shakespearian dialogue used frequently. His performance was impressive because of the precise footwork and timing.

I enjoyed how old fashioned the book was, it had a vintage musical feel to it. Such as the sentence structures and old American slang. They don’t make musicals like they used to. I felt like the Music was the strong point of Kiss Me Kate, the music left an impression on you with songs such as ‘Too Darn Hot’ and ‘Always True To You’. I also must give credit to the choreographer Stephen Mear as he added extra comedy value to the songs in Taming of The Shrew with the extra arm movements and over exaggerated movements in the dance routines which added to the feel you were watching a Shakespearian play. I thought Trevor Nunn did a brilliant job with the set changes; they were changed quickly and effectively and helped you to understand what/where the scene was. The lighting was very well done too, with flickering lights to show a backstage to suggest a rundown theatre and u.v lights on stage to add a nicer effect than a blackout. I felt that the weakness of the play was the lack of clarity of the Shakespearian speech, to change this I would direct in a different way by making sure the characters faces are clear to show how they are feeling at that moment to represent the story line furthermore, I would make sure the speech is slow so everybody can keep up with what’s happening.

Overall I enjoyed the show but found the majority of the dialogue hard to follow due to the speed of delivery and the Shakespearian language. The intertwined stories became confusing and I found it hard to tell if what was being said in the Taming of the Shrew was going as planned due to the off stage arguments being brought to the stage. Having never seen Kiss Me Kate before I went in with an open mind and did enjoy the musical, the songs were catchy and the comedy was timed correctly, however, it’s not a musical I would rush to see again.

ALYX HOLCOMBE

MY REVIEW

A fantastic revival of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ directed by Trevor Nunn with an amazing array of talent, costumes and scenery.

The acting was impeccable to the point where I thought I was watching ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ instead of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ at some points. Was extremely clever how they changed characters so well. I love the way that ‘Kate’ was playing her character in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ then when she found out that Fred didn’t want to get back with her it was obvious what lines in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ she changed. I thought it was very effective and created humour within the piece.

My favourite song within this performance was ‘Too Darn Hot’. Electrifying energy come from Jason Pennycooke, perfect opening for the second act. The only criticism I would have about the singing in ‘Kiss Me Kate’ would be ‘Brush up your Shakespeare’. Most of the comedic lines were lost as their diction was not clear enough, it took me a while whilst listening to the song to notice how many puns there were in it. The acting from the two gangsters nevertheless was ‘on point’. Their comedic timing was brilliant and made the whole audience chuckle.

Aside from the faultless acting and incredible singing ability, the scenery was astounding. Such incredible set changes and minimal black outs which I thought was unbelievably clever. The tree that appeared during the finale was magnificent. The scenery was only made out of simple cloth, but I think this is what made the show even more impressive. It shows that you don’t need to spend thousands of scenery when you have actors who are more than capable to pull the show off.

The only let down if you’re a dance critic is that Adam Garcia was tapping to a click track. As I gathered most people were expecting an incredible live performance from Adam Garcia, although I think he is a very talented individual I think the theatre viewers maybe were expecting a little too much considering he isn’t one of the main characters. Saying that, the tap dancers themselves were flawless and were very in sync with each other. Clearly well rehearsed.

Although the show is quite lengthy for a musical (near three hours in length) the high energy, vibrant, comedic cast manage to make time fly by creating such an incredible piece of theatre. Definitely a must see for any theatre lover.