Curve Theatre Leicester – until 12th August 2023
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5****
Kiss Me, Kate is a show within a show. A cleverly layered tale of conflict on and off the stage between the stars of a musical version of “The Taming of the Shrew“. Starring producer and actor Fred Graham, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi, Lois Lane, a singer/dancer, in which Graham has some romantic desires, and Bill Calhoune, Lois’s love interest who has some questionable hobbies and who questions Lane’s commitment to him. A rampant gambler, Calhoune signs an IOU in Graham’s name triggering 2 gangsters to come after him.
Graham, on the verge of reconnecting with Vanessi, forgets he has sent a bouquet to Lois, which is delivered in error to Vanessi. On stage as Katherina/Kate, Vanessi reads the card and discovers that the bouquet was meant for Lane and threatens to leave the show. Her departure is prevented by two gangsters who have come to collect the IOU. As the first Act ends, art is imitating life, will the show go on?
This rendition, by The National Youth Music Theatre, was joyous, energetic, colourful and fun. Every moment was meticulously thought out. Being a play within a play performers never stopped performing, whether they were on stage, off stage, at the side of the stage or on the balcony, they stayed in character. They performed through dance, acting, music, facial expressions, I simply cannot emphasise how well performed this production was. Audience interaction, showstopping numbers, tightly choreographed dance sequences, it was a sumptuous production. Musical Director Charlotte Corderoy, Sound Designer Andrew Johnson and Choreographer Adam Haigh breathed new life into some classic numbers which were certainly hot. To hear such a large orchestra combined with such beautiful voices singing Porter at his best was a gift. The set/costume design and lighting by Richard Cooper, and Jamie Platt, respectively, kept things deceptively simple. The set is made up of monochrome drawings that are static and sometimes moved by cast members or are puppets, like birds and dogs. The colour is left to the cast. I would change the colour of the main puppeteer’s costumes from all white to all black, but that would be my only adjustment.
Central to Kiss Me, Kate is the relationship between wannabe artistic svengali Fred Graham, played by Charlie Weaver and his no nonsense, sassy ex-wife Lilli Vanessi, played by Sydney Richards. Weaver and Richards, drip with faux vitriol and this is magnificently displayed on stage as the ex-lovers whose love for each other grows increasingly obvious. Weaver wove seamlessly between 1940s Graham and Shakesperean Petruchio, handling huge chunks of Shakespearean dialogue with ease. Richards was a revelation as the sultry Kate and fiery cat like Katherina. Vocally stunning belting out ‘I Hate Men’ made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Watch out for a brilliant slow-motion scene as Katherina rejects lesser suitors in fierce fashion.
Every performance in this production was brilliant. Charlie Jackson was enchanting as Lois Lane/Bianca with her hauntingly beautiful voice. Joe Butler-Smith was fabulous as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio, a truly wonderful actor and tap dancer. Joseph Brown as General Howell (a contender for the best booming American accent, and slow march) However, stealing the show, in true criminal fashion, were the criminally undernamed, First Gangster, Raphael Goold and Second Gangster, Georgie Lagden. They were a tour de force to behold. Incredibly funny, even when having to contend with a missing phone. “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” had the audience in stitches.
National Youth Music Theatre, consisting of forty-four cast members and twenty-seven musicians fully deserved the standing ovation at the end of this triumphant performance of Kiss Me, Kate.