Kiss me, Kate London Tickets
Line of Duty favourite, Adrian Dunbar, and Broadway legend, Stephanie J. Block star in the classic musical caper, Kiss me, Kate. Playing for a strictly limited run at the Barbican theatre, this madcap musical revives the original sound of Broadway and MGM for the London stage. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday 19 January, exclusively through London Theatre Direct.
About Kiss me, Kate London
Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy could turn into a tragedy when bickering divorcées, Fred and Lilli, take to the stage! Weaving together the on-stage and off-stage lives of a theatre company as they navigate love, jealousy, and mistaken identities, the troupe’s adaptation of ‘Shrew’ is anything but tame.
The heated offstage sparrings become too darn hot for actor/director Fred Graham (Adrian Dunbar) and leading lady, Lilli Vanessi (Stephanie J. Block) and soon their arguments begin to boil over and spill on to the stage causing chaos on opening night. As the destructive duos onstage characters, Petruchio and Katherine, wage verbal and physical war on each other, the actors also prepare for battle as life imitates art, and Shakespeare's well-known figures and their 'real life' players delightfully intertwine. However, as the prolific playwright once penned ‘the course of true love never did run smooth,’ and the couple, despite their passionate fury, find themselves falling for each other once more. Will their new-found love story have a happy ending, or will it close early?
Featuring a Tony award winning score performed by a full-scale orchestra, this musical within a musical includes the iconic songs ‘Too Darn Hot,’ ‘So In Love,’ and ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare.’ Known for its clever writing, catchy tunes, and energetic dance numbers, this hilarious musical will brighten up your summer (even if it’s a typical British one).
About Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block
She has trod the boards for over two decades, but finally Broadway legend, Stephanie J. Block makes her West End debut! The Tony award winning actress originated the role of Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz, and became the first actress to play Elphaba on the U.S. national tour of Wicked, later reprising the role on Broadway two years later.
BAFTA winning actor, Adrian Dunbar is best known for portraying the ever-quotable Superintendent Ted Hastings in cult police drama Line of Duty, and the mysterious Martin Summers in Ashes to Ahes. Outside of TV the Irishman co-wrote and starred in 90s classic Hear My Song, and co-directed and starred in Brendan at the Chelsea which premiered in Belfast and later transferred to New York.
Fun facts and critical acclaim
- Kiss me, Kate won the first ever Tony award for Best Musical when the category was introduced in 1948.
- The couple at the heart of the show is based on Broadway legends, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, a husband-and-wife team whose offstage battles were legendary.
- The multi-award musical has been adapted into a feature length film, and at least four television productions.
- Kiss Me, Katewas Porter's response to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! becoming his first show to feature music and lyrics that were firmly connected to the script.
Kiss Me, Kate London Cast
- Fred Graham – Adrian Dunbar
- Lilli Vanessi - Stephanie J. Block
- Bill Calhoun - Charlie Stemp
- Lois Lane - Georgina Onuorah
Further casting to be announced.
Kiss Me, Kate London Creatives
- Director - Bartlett Sher
- Music and Lyrics – Cole Porter
- Choreographer - Anthony Van Laast
Further creatives to be announced.