‘Kiss me, Kate’ is a complex play-within-a-play, which shows a Baltimore based cast of players preparing for their production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
In the opening scene of this Lyric Theatre-NI Opera joint production, we catch a glimpse into actor/producer Fred Graham (Norman Bowman)’s dressing room and right from the get-go we witness the faces of Trump, Epstein, Johnson and Farage - director Walter Sutcliffe is making a statement. He understands this play and all its misogyny and is diving right in at deep end; there will be no short-cuts or bowing out here.
And rightly so. The aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein scandals and the #TimesUp//#MeToo movements highlight a welcome change in showbusiness – and elsewhere - as women (and some men) are refusing to accept the entitled and misogynistic behaviour that seems to go hand-in-hand when some individuals attain power or notoriety. For too long, men in positions of power, fuelled by their own ego and sense of self-importance, were able to behave badly - sometimes illegally - with little consequence, and often describing those who call them out as being ‘over-dramatic’, ‘liars’, or even worse, ‘asking for it’.
Back to the play though… Lilli Vanessi (Melle Stewart) is Fred’s wife/ex-wife. Although confident, you can sense the undercurrent of damage and hurt that has been caused by her previous relationship - from which she bears many scars, something that so many in the audience will relate to.
Fred and Lilli Vanessi argue passionately, but as chaos brews off stage, ‘the show must go on’! As they morph into their Shakespearean alter egos Petruchio and Katharine, their performance is breath-taking. Their on-stage chemistry – fuelled by some real-life upsets - allows them to work together as if no other match would work. And Stewart and Bowman maintain their energetic performance right through the two-hour performance as brilliant characters of both Shakespeare and Spewack alike; the tangible connection between their characters is obvious.
Slap bang in the middle of their relationship is Jayne Wisener, who plays Lois Lane, a beautiful, fame-hungry wannabe actress who adopts flirtation and uses her good looks as a means to progress her career. However, whatever her motives and her method, there is definitely the distinct impression that Fred is grooming her, Weinstein-style – and this is culturally significant in the context of an on-going conversation that will only get louder.
She is both captivating and striking on stage. I hadn’t seen her since her much less serious but still brilliant role as Cinderella at the Opera House with Gareth Gates in 2016 (their on-stage chemistry was fabulous) and it was refreshing to feel her presence again. Add her looks and her brilliant ability to carry a note with character, to her lovely personality off stage and you will see how - and why - I have a bit of a girl crush on her.
There was brilliant comedy from the mafioso duo Marty Maguire and Darren Franklin, two debt-collecting mobsters. Their rendition of ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ was fantastic and had me in stiches. You know one of those songs that you wish you knew the lyrics to, so you could belt it out at parties? Yup, that. I loved Marty in Bouncers at the MAC last year, but I think I love him even more here. Would he be insulted if I said he plays a ‘hood’ very well? I hope not!
The trio of fairy-angels were fab too. Their (excellent) singing and sexy gyrating at all the right moments only compounded Graham’s misbehaviour for us in the audience - and that is, or was, I suppose, the whole point of them. Nice tinsel wings too. ;-)
A final nod to Matthew Cavan and Richard Croxford who are also outstanding. Cavan’s performance of ‘Too Darn Hot’ before the interval definitely left a few of audience members near me feeling a little too darn hot themselves!
All in all, the play is fast-moving and furious, carried along with Conor Mitchell’s stunning 12-piece orchestra. This is a story that is testament to the golden age of theatre in all its showbiz glory. Or gory - if you look at the ugly side of things backstage/onstage. Although more musical theatre than opera, there is no denying the quality of the singing with the NI Opera injection makes it better than what you would normally expect in musical theatre, in fact it’s simply breath-taking. Jennifer Rooney’s choreography is visual and impressive.
In short, the whole production was simply brilliant. Through the comedy, the story superbly challenged age-old behaviour and there is no doubt audience members will leave the theatre feeling empowered and ready to open discussions and ask questions. Because even though we are (still) not without prejudice in today’s world (far from it, in fact), the people behind ‘Kiss Me, Kate’, still knew plenty about the compromises of marriage and shitty behaviour.
Cole Porter, the name behind the 1948 musical’s songs, lived ‘happily’ married to the socialite Linda Lee Thomas even though he was gay; (again, a timely point given last week’s public coming out/forcing out). Playwright Bella Spewack was pressured to share credit with Samuel Specwack, her estranged husband, at the time, even though she did most of the work.
I look forward to a time when people can just be themselves and be kind, but the themes throughout the play are a sad reminder of how abhorrent behaviour is not a new thing; indeed, when this play first released in 1948, this kind of treatment was the norm - and remained very rarely challenged until recently. Let’s hope the performance helps at least one person to stand up to bad behaviour, to break silence, to show resilience, and to empower themselves to challenge and change behaviour. I for one don’t think it could be any more relevant today.
Kiss me, Kate continues in the Lyric Theatre until Saturday 22 February. You can buy tickets here: https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/event/kiss-me-kate/