Kiss Me Kate

For their fity-fifth production All Souls' Amateur Operatic Society selected a show they have never previously performed.  "Kiss Me Kate" adapted from William Shakespear's "The Taming of the Shrew" with the delightful music of Cole Porter. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see this lovely show once again, with a kaleidoscope of colourful costumes.

This show is a play within a play and relies heavily on the leading roles, Fred Graham/Petruchio, (Brian Harrison) was outstanding  both in singing and acting.  The firey Lilli Vanessi/Katherine/Kate, (Amy Ellison) gave an impressive performance in this very demanding role.  Bill Calhoun/Lucentio, (Jai Jai Ekins) and Lois Lane/Bianic, (Christine Roberts) gave a good all round performance and established their characters without any difficulty.

The gangsters number, as always, a highlight in this show, was delivered with panache, the four beautiful dancers sparkled superbly, and delighted the audience with their big tap number.

The Orchestra for this society consisted of two grand pianos only, beautifully played, which means they had no need for microphones.

The scene changes were a little slow, but hopefully that will change as the week progresses.

Graham worked really hard with execution of the script and score, to bring out the humour in this production, enhancing the portrayals of the characters.

The audience responded well, keep up the good work.

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