Kiss Me Kate

What could be better than the melodic wit and artistry of a Cole Porter timeless classic, in this case, the musical 'Kiss Me Kate', filled with well-loved songs, sharp libretto and an amusing story, intertwined with Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew'?  Once again, Leeds G&S have moved away from operetta and taken on a musical, set in the 1940's, of a touring company presenting a musical, involving love affairs, tantrums and gangsters! It's hard to follow at first, but soon becomes clearer! Anita Adams, Artistic Director and Choreographer, made sure her production was filled with plenty of movement from beginning to end. Her technical wizardry and ability to give everyone in the cast their individual characters was awesome - my eyes were constantly roaming the stage in case I missed any 'business' - and there was plenty! A forceful Fred/Petruchio, a feisty Lilli/Kate, a sexy Lois/Bianca and a badly behaved Bill/Lucentio made up a strong principal line-up, more than ably assisted by supporting principals and an enthusiatic chorus. This musical is known for it's strong dance numbers, as in 'Too Darn Hot', but, to her credit, Anita worked interesting movements to compensate for any such shortcomings from her cast. The Musical Director, Jonathan Drummond, approached the score with aplomb - his job made easier with such strong singing from the entire company, a feature of this Society. The sound balance from the orchestra was excellent and at no time, drowned out the performances, which I often find the case with some groups. The set had been well-thought out - with so many scene changes, it can get complicated, but these were smooth and all credit to the cast who undertook a lot of these themselves. A lot of hard work had gone on back- stage, under the direction of Paul Myers, Stage Manager, to make the production as authentic as possible, with atmospheric lighting. The 1940's is the hardest period to re-create, but, by setting the piece as a third-rate touring group, the wardrobe department pulled off a good 'look' and make-up people also did well. A most enjoyable production, such fun!

Congratulations to you all - Wunderbar!!! 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.