Cole Porter’s Songs Fire Up ‘Kiss Me, Kate’

Theater Review

“Kiss Me, Kate,” that witty play within a play enlivened by Cole Porter’s music, is currently playing at the Morgan-Wixson Theater through August 14. An overnight success when it opened on Broadway December 30, 1948, the play takes up the egotistical Fred Graham and his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi and their fiery, tempestuous, on-again, off-again relationship, which spills from backstage onto their on-stage performance of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” The original play was modeled on the quintessential Broadway couple Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne whose jealous antics behind the scenes were well-known. Producer Saint Subber hired Sam and Bella Spewack to write the book. The Spewacks’ relationship was also rocky and they had been separated for a while before they came together solely for the purpose of writing “Kiss Me, Kate.” They got back together after they wrote it. The musical score by Cole Porter borrows from Shakespeare’s dialogue but uses the syntax of the day in the numbers behind the scenes, such as “It’s Too Darn Hot.” The bridge goes: “According to the Kinsey report, ev’ry average man you know much prefers to play his favorite sport when the temperature is low.” The musical contains 17 classic Porter numbers, including “Another Op’nin, Another Show,” “Why Can’t You Behave,” and “I Hate Men.” The play, which ran for 1,077 performances and won five Tony Awards, including “Best Musical,” “Best Script,” and “Best Score,” is not often done in regional and community theaters. Thomas S. Hischak, a recognized scholar on American theater, speculates that “The vocal demands and the lack of female roles probably make it less appealing.” Director Anne Gesling has gotten around the lack of female roles by having the two daughters in the Shakespeare on-stage play answer to a mother in the role of father/Baptista, Valerie Lippincott. Lippincott’s strong voice make her enjoyable to watch as she tries her best to marry off her shrill-tongued eldest daughter, Katherine. The two gangsters are also usually cast as men, but Valeri Braun, cast as one of the gangsters, holds her own and then some. Whenever Barry Silver and Braun are on stage in their vain attempts to recoup a gambling debt, their presence and deadpan antics leave the audience laughing. They never let the lead character, Graham, out of sight, even if it means they have to don Shakespearean dress and go panic-stricken in front of an audience. Their show-stopping song “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” is pure fun. In the lead as the egotistical Fred Graham/Petruccio, Steve Hall is enjoyable to watch. Leading lady AnnaLisa Erickson sings “I Hate Men” with such conviction that the audience is entirely convinced that this woman will never marry. Both leads are fine in their individual parts; unfortunately, the much needed chemistry the play pivots on isn’t there. Krystal Karpel is wonderfully spunky in the role of Bianca, with a beautifully feigned innocence as she explains to her jealous boyfriend, Bill Calhoun (Joshua Aaron), that she is “Always True to You In My Fashion.” Anytime Karpel comes on stage, it lights up with her presence. Aaron, a lank, lean sweet presence, is also a good hoofer. His tap dance in the number “Bianca” is effortlessly perfect. The choreography by Karpel is imaginative and seamless. The set design for “Kiss Me, Kate” could be problematic on a smaller stage because it has to incorporate the play within a play. Designer Thomas A. Brown has made wise choices that enhance the production. The Shakespearean costumes, designed by Gesling, are particularly lovely. This production needs tightening, but “Kiss Me, Kate” is a classic not done often enough. “Kiss Me, Kate” runs through Sunday, August 14, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., and one Saturday matinee July 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and $12 for students. The Morgan-Wixson Theater is located at 2627 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. Contact 828-7519.