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.