Darn great 'Kate'
What: "Kiss Me Kate."
When: Tonight-Saturday, 8 p.m., (audio described Saturday), Sunday, 7 p.m.;
matinees Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
Cost: $16-$66.
Call: 831-6060; Ticketmaster, 834-4000.
By ROY C. DICKS, Correspondent
RALEIGH - The great songwriter Cole Porter wrote dozens of Broadway musicals in the 1930s and '40s filled with his irresistible wit and melody. "Kiss Me Kate" came after the great watershed of "Oklahoma," the musical that ushered in the era of tightly integrated storylines with a show's songs and dances. Opening in December 1948, "Kate" gave Porter his most enduring hit. Its show-within-a-show concept, Shakespearean cachet and delightfully bickering leads all give it classic status.
In 1999, director Michael Blakemore's still running Broadway revival won multiple Tonys for its freshness and pizzazz. And he infused those same qualities in the national tour, which arrived at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday night. Best of all, the show has been left in its original period and, with minor exceptions, has not been updated or reconceived. Blakemore trusts the material, bringing to it the highest production values and showmanship. This show needs no electronics or mechanical devices to substitute for good, old-fashioned talent.
A glance at the credits confirms that this a first-class gathering. The cast had amazing energy and precision Tuesday, impressive considering the many months of traveling. Much of the fun comes from seeing the pure joy that all the actors radiate as they go through their paces.
The two female leads provide show-stopping performances. As the temperamental Lilli, cast opposite her former husband in a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew," Rachel York has it all: rich, soaring voice, superb comic timing and statuesque beauty. Her intensely physical and bawdy rendition of "I Hate Men" reduces the audience to hysterics, while her "So in Love" impresses mightily with its range and power.
Jenny Hill is "on" from her first entrance as Bianca, the young hoofer out to collect all the men she can, belting her numbers with an enticing sexiness and dancing with a siren's allure. Her "Always True to You, In My Fashion," one of Porter's most gloriously sophisticated and suggestive songs, simply sizzles, building verse by verse to an incredible high.
Vocally, the male leads must take a back seat. Rex Smith, as Fred, the egotistic actor and Lilli's sparring partner, is charming. He brings out the self-mockery and imperiousness of both the onstage and offstage actor, willing to be silly and wimpy when necessary. But the role was written for a heavier voice and a more domineering personality. Songs such as "Were Thine That Special Face" and "Where Is the Life That Late I Led?" need more heft than he can supply, and the fight scenes with Lilli/Kate need a stronger presence.
Jim Newman as Lois' smitten boyfriend and Randy Donaldson as Fred's dresser both have pleasant voices. It's their dancing, however, that wows. Newman's athleticism in "Bianca," a love letter to Lois, culminates in his jaw-dropping use of the entire set as a jungle gym. Donaldson leads the ensemble in the show's best overall section, "It's Too Darn Hot." A cleverly conceived dance number in a theater back alley, it's one of the many evocative settings from designer Robin Wagner.
Donaldson's airy leaps and jazzy bounces are joined by the chorus in a lusty frenzy, the high point of Kathleen Marshall's brilliant choreography throughout. Conductor James Moore gets red-hot licks from the orchestra, adding to the dancing's effectiveness.
The show's first half-hour moves slowly with its plot-setting character scenes, and Blakemore cheapens Porter's sophisticated double entendre with a little too much crotch humor. But these cavils do not prevent this show from providing entertainment well worth the ticket price.