Kiss Me, Kate made history when it became the first ever Best Musical winner at the 3rd annual Tony Awards in 1949. 75 years, multiple TV adaptations and an Oscar winning 3D film later, the bawdy Broadway classic officially returned to the West End last night. But with the original production setting the (wunder)bar so high, could the latest revival starring Stephanie J. Block, Adrian Dunbar, Charlie Stemp and Georgina Onuorah live up to audiences expectations?
What is Kiss Me, Kate about?
A timeless romp through the world of theatre, Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy turns into a tragedy when bickering divorcées, Fred and Lilli, attempt to pull off a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. Putting the backstage drama firmly in the spotlight, this musical within a musical weaves together the on-stage and off-stage lives of a theatre company as they navigate love, jealousy, and mistaken identities.
Featuring a full scale orchestra and a Tony award-winning score, did critics think the adaptation was Too Darn Hot, or were they left feeling cold?