Kiss Me Kate

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Under the direction of Robert Wells, the choreography of Anita Boland, and musical direction of Donna Kolpan Debreceni, Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center has outdone themselves with the current production of the Cole Porter winner of five Tony Awards in 1999, Kiss Me Kate. Time for the run is short, but every effort should be made to schedule this hot shot musical.

Tim and Elizabeth Welch, a real-life married couple, play the fictional divorced Broadway couple of Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi as they pursue their on-again, off-again backstage romance in the musical comedy, Kiss Me Kate at Town Hall Arts Center.

If that’s not possible, call the box office and beg them to extend the run. If that doesn’t work, beg them to bring it back. Persistence does pay off.

Biting, scrappy, sassy, a real-life married theatrical duo, Tim and Elizabeth Welch bring Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi to a bigger-than-life status in the play within a play. Fred produces, directs and stars in his traveling theatre company’s production of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Fred’s overblown ego and Lilli’s fiery temper lock horns with the divorced couple the second they are in sight of each other. Through the sparks flying furiously, it is clear they still love each other, but humility is not part of their scenario.

In The Taming of The Shrew, Lilli is cast as Katherine Minola, the oldest daughter of Baptista, (Joey Wishnia) who must marry before the younger sister is allowed to. Independent, strong, Katherine wants nothing to do with any man, making this clear in her fabulous tempest interpretation of the song “I Hate Men.”

A conspiracy consumes Lucentio (Scott McLean) who is deeply in love with Bianca (Jenny Hecht) to find a man strong enough, prideful enough to tackle the challenge the spit-fire, Katherine, Fred transforms perfectly into Petruchio who instantly becomes determined to tame the shrew. A misunderstanding takes Katherine and Petruchio beyond the taming to an onstage personal attack. The two Welch’s execute the brilliant choreographed spatting tussles with perfection.

With an exquisite flexible cast actors playing actors playing actors humor runs rampant, particularly with the two stereotypical gangsters, coolly played by Michael A. Parker and Andrew Lagerborg. Piling a New Jersey-type gangster into a Shakespearian costume comes close to mixing oil and water. These two are superb. With their song “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” they play off each other as though they have been a team for eons.

The show opens quietly with Stagehand #1, Keegan Flaugh, singing the opening line of “Another Op’nin, Another Show.” With Debreceni’s music behind him, the cast joins in one by one until the house rocks with anticipation. Traci Kern’s confident stride as Hattie, and big voice ties together the rambunctious cast.

Fred is flaunting his virile manhood with Lois Lane. Deliciously played by Hecht. Lilli is engaged to General Harrison Howell who flaunts his “Generalness” on top authority through the creation of Kevin Walton.

It won five Tony Awards when it was originally produced in 1948. That was another time, with another thought process, and has been updated to meet the demands of today’s feminist thinking. It’s still OK, when to the surprise of the characters, Lilli comes to her senses and falls into Fred’s arms with his reprise of “Kiss Me Kate.”

Hot, this production sizzles with the wedding of actor, dancer and singer. Beloved songs “Wunderbar,” “Too Darn Hot,” “So In Love,” and Fred’s tender introspective “Where Is the Life That Late I Led” shout Cole Porter with Debreceni’s musical attack within the context of the characters.

Stuart Barr designed an appropriate set that points to where the action is without getting in the way of cumbersome qualities. Brian I. Miller’s lighting design and Steve Stevens sound design give the right punch at the right time, emphasizing and even editorializing the fiery intense action steamed up by the characters.

This extraordinarily top-of-the-line production would stand up at the top of the list with any production of Kiss Me Kate in the country. It is high-class professional, and deserves a much longer run.