Overview
Synopsis
Egotistical leading man, director, and producer Fred Graham is reunited with his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi, when the two are forced to play opposite one another in a new production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. The battle of the sexes continues onstage and off, as it becomes clear that, as much as this couple profess to hate each other, they are also still in love. Alongside their bickering liaison, the show’s supporting actress, Lois Lane, supports her gambling boyfriend, Bill, as he attempts to evade the the clutches of local gangsters. Throw in a number of cases of mistaken identity, the mob, and comedic routines into the mix and you get Kiss Me, Kate -- a dazzling Broadway classic that earned the very first Tony award for Best Musical.
Show Information
- Book
- Samuel Spewack , Bella Spewack
- Music
- Cole Porter
- Lyrics
- Cole Porter
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1948
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- america, 1949
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Large Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Kiss Me Kate was first produced on Broadway in 1948. Winning the first ever Tony award for Best Musical,the show was inspired by the real-life sparring between onstage/offstage couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. With music by Cole Porter, it was an immediate success, running on Broadway for 1,077 performances. It opened in London’s West End in 1951 at the Coliseum Theatre, running for 400 performances. It has since been revived in both New York and London, several times, most recently in
to read the context for Kiss Me, Kate and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
In 1948, a theater company are preparing for the opening night of a new musical based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at the Ford Theatre in Baltimore (“Another Op’nin’, Another Show”). They are led by impresario Fred Graham who is not only directing and producing the show, but also starring as the romantic lead Petruchio. Controversially he has hired his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi to perform opposite him as the ‘shrew’, Katherine. Both claim to have moved on--Fred is
to read the plot for Kiss Me, Kate and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
Songs
Act One
- *Another Op’nin’, Another Show - Ensemble
- Why Can’t You Behave - Lois Lane, Bill Calhoun
- Wunderbar - Fred Graham, Lilli Vanessi
- So in Love - Lilli Vanessi
- *We Open in Venice - Fred Graham, Lilli Vanessi, Lois Lane, Bill Calhoun
- *Tom, Dick, or Harry - Lois Lane, Bill Calhoun, Ensemble
- I’ve Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua - Fred Graham, Ensemble
- I Hate Men - Lilli Vanessi
- Were Thine That Special Face - Fred Graham
- We Sing of Love (Cantiamo D’Amore) - Lois Lane, Bill Calhoun, Ensemble
- Kiss Me, Kate - Fred Graham, Lilli Vanessi, Ensemble
Act Two
- *It's Too Darn Hot - Paul, Ensemble
- Where is the Life That Late I Led - Fred Graham
- *Always True To You In My Fashion - Lois Lane
- From This Moment On - General Harrison Howell, Lilli Vanessi
- *Bianca - Bill Calhoun, Ensemble
- So in Love [reprise] - Fred Graham
- *Brush Up Your Shakespeare - First Man, Second Man
- I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple - Lilli Vanessi
- Kiss Me Kate [reprise] - Ensemble
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
References an era of book musicals written roughly between the 1940s and the 1960s.
A Broadway musical written and produced between 1943 and 1965.
A type of theatre which draws attention to the nature of theatre and performance, often through a "play within a play"
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher