Kiss Me Kate
BY JONATHAN FRANK
http://www.talkinBroadway.com/
Tuesdays-Sundays through Jan. 27, at 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle. $17-$58. 206-292-ARTS.
When Kiss Me, Kate opened on Broadway in 1948, it was considered a welcome
antidote to the events of the recent World War. Over fifty years later, a touring
production of the recently closed Broadway revival is providing the same emotional
relief.
Kiss Me, Kate was inspired by the antics of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne,
whose backstage quarrels during a production of The Taming Of The Shrew
were as tempestuous as what they were portraying onstage. With a book by Samuel
and Bella Spewack and a score by Cole Porter, Kiss Me, Kate won five
Tony Awards including the inaugural award for Best Musical. The 1999 revival,
incidentally, won the same number of Tonys, including a record-making Best Director
nod for Michael Blakemore, the first director to win a Tony for directing a
musical and a play (Copenhagen) in the same year.
A great deal of the current
production's success is that those involved treat it as a revival and not a
revisal, trusting that audiences would still enjoy its old-fashioned style and
fantastic score. So what if the book has more loose ends than a fraying macramé
planter? Or if some of the characters are thinner than Calista Flockhart? Or
that the pat endings make Greek 'deus ex machine' resolutions look like Chekhov
in comparison? The book (with some uncredited minor updating by John Guare)
is basically a wire hanger upon which to hang a fantastic score (a score that
contains at least a half dozen of Cole Porters' finest standards) and provide
an excuse for two stars to duke it out and shine in the process.
Kiss Me, Kate is one of those rare musicals in which both the male and
female leads get equal time to shine, and thus is dependent on a perfect balance
between the two. The touring production is blessed with two performers who have
a shared history, Rex Smith and Rachel York, who previously appeared opposite
each other in the second incarnation of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Rex Smith
is admittedly an odd choice for Fred Graham, as the role is traditionally played
by a bass baritone and Rex's tenor is not quite a perfect fit for some of the
lower notes. However, Smith makes a more human and humorous Fred than did Brian
Stokes Mitchell, as his portrayal of the producer/writer/actor is less over-the-top
and more hanging-on-by-fingernails. Rex also deftly handles the transition between
the persona of Petruchio in the show-within-a-show production of The Taming
Of The Shrew: The Musical and the more tender off-stage moments between
Fred and his ex-wife. Rachel York as said embattled ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi,
is a sight to behold and hear, perfectly nailing every moment and nuance of
the part. Her high soprano notes come as a delightful surprise and her comic
timing is impeccable, making her rendition of "So In Love" as heart breaking
as her "I Hate Men" was gut-busting.
The secondary characters are a bit more hit-or-miss. Chuck Wagner is glorious,
if woefully underutilized, as the General MacArthur-esque fiancé of Lilli's
(watching the show made me think he would make a wonderful Officer Lockstock
in Urinetown). Jenny Hill is sweet as Lois Lane/Bianca, but never fully
realizes the full potential of two of Porter's best songs, "Why Can't You Behave"
and "Always True To You (In My Fashion)." Jim Newman makes for a dashing Bill
Calhoun/Lucentio. Unfortunately, saddled with one of the worst songs Cole Porter
wrote on purpose (due to a pique he had with the original actor), Jim makes
the most out of "Bianca" through his phenomenal dancing. Randy Donaldson (Paul)
displays great energy in "Too Darn Hot," the opening dance number for the second
act (which is, unfortunately, still too darn long). The standouts, however,
are the two gangsters, played by Richard Poe and Michael Arkin, who predictably
stop the show with "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."
Martin Pakledinaz's costumes are gorgeous for the 'real' people, but a bit too
reminiscent of the original production's garish costumes for the show within
a show. Robin Wagner's set is serviceable, if unexciting. Paul Gemignani (music
director) and Don Debesky (orchestrations) provide a thrilling throwback to
the days of sweeping show tunes. Michael Blakemore's direction and Kathleen
Marshall's choreography rarely disappoint (failing only with an uninspired and
lifeless "Where Is The Life That Late I Led?" and a perplexing I Love Lucy-esque
grape stomping "Cantiamo D'Amore").
Overall, Kiss Me, Kate is a well-acted, well-sung, well-realized valentine
of a classic musical for those who love them and should be seen by anybody who
ever bemoaned the fact that they don't make them like they used to.
Kiss Me, Kate runs at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre through January 27th before continuing its tour. For more information, visit either www.5thavenuetheatre.org or www.kissmekateontour.com.