Wimborne Musical Theatre Society

Kiss Me, Kate, Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter, is a play within a play featuring a group of actors at a theatre in Baltimore on the Opening Night of ‘The Shrew’. It is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, a blend of operetta and musical comedy, set in the mid to late 50’s.

Fred Graham (actor, director and producer of the play) and his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi, (actress of stage and screen) play the roles of Petruchio and Katherine (Kate) but the turbulence of their real-life relationship spills over into the performance and threatens the success of the production. The arrival of two 1940’s gangsters and, later, a larger than life General, Harrison Howell, (Lilli’s fiancé) add to the fun and frenzy. A sub-plot involving two younger members of the cast Lois Lane (who plays Kate’s sister, Bianca) and her boy friend, Bill Calhoun (Lucentio) adds to the richness of the comedy.

Production team:

Director: Denise Mallender

Musical Director: Lee Redwood

Choreographer: Suzi De Villiers

Artistic Director: Roy Joseph