SYNOPSIS
Kiss Me Kate is a musical within a musical. This is very apt because its source material – Shakespeare’s "The Taming of the Shrew" is also a play within a play.
In Benfleet Operatic Society’s production, Rob Gray and Jackie Newman take the leading parts as a famous Broadway singing team (Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi) who have not worked together since their very bitter divorce. Fred plans to star in a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew" and is adamant that the only actress who is suitable to play the tempestuous Katherine is Lilli. But she has other ideas especially as Fred’s latest floozie Lois Lane is going to play the part of Bianca!
Lilli is also planning to retire from showbiz to marry Harrison Howell. To complicate matters further, a couple of gangsters arrive on the scene convinced that Fred is heavily in debt to their boss. Although this is in fact, not true, Fred seizes the opportunity and plays along with the gangsters, forcing Lilli at gunpoint to co-star with him saying that he will then be able to pay them off. The gangsters however, get their come-uppance when they are forced to appear on stage themselves in full Elizabethan costume!
Audiences will recognise many of the melodious songs including the ever-favourite "Wunderbar", "So In Love", "Too Darn Hot", "I Hate Men!", "Where Is The Life That Late I Led" and of course "Brush Up Your Shakespeare"
It is believed that the plot of "Kiss Me Kate" was inspired by the on and off stage battles between married theatrical stars Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne – whether this has any basis in truth is not certain but "Kiss Me Kate" remains a favourite and enjoyable show.
