Composer

:

Cole Porter

Genre

:

Musical Theatre

Style

:

Musical Theater

Compose Date

:

1948

First Performance

:

Dec 30, 1948

Average_duration

:

67:32

'Kiss Me Kate' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The plot revolves around a production of William Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew', in which the two leads, Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, are former spouses who still have feelings for each other. The show premiered on Broadway on December 30, 1948, and ran for 1,077 performances. The musical is set in Baltimore in the 1940s, where a touring company is putting on a production of 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Fred Graham, the director and star of the show, is playing Petruchio, while his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi is playing Katherine. The tension between the two is palpable, and their bickering spills over into their performances. Meanwhile, two gangsters arrive to collect a debt from Fred, and end up getting involved in the show. The music in 'Kiss Me Kate' is classic Cole Porter, with catchy tunes and witty lyrics. Some of the most famous songs from the show include "Another Op'nin', Another Show", "So In Love", and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". The show also features a number of dance numbers, including a show-stopping tap dance by Ann Miller in the song "Too Darn Hot". One of the unique features of 'Kiss Me Kate' is the way it weaves together the story of 'The Taming of the Shrew' with the backstage drama of the production. The show-within-a-show format allows for some clever meta-theatrical moments, such as when the characters in the play comment on the actors' real-life relationships. 'Kiss Me Kate' was a critical and commercial success, and has since become a beloved classic of the musical theatre canon. It has been revived numerous times on Broadway and in the West End, and has been adapted into a film and a television special. The show's enduring popularity is a testament to the enduring appeal of Cole Porter's music and the cleverness of the show's book.

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