A thoroughly modern ‘Kiss Me Kate’
Marriott Theatre staging the play that’s within a play
A formerly married couple who can’t get along offstage carry their grievances onstage in “Kiss Me, Kate,” now in previews at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.
Fortunately, it works in their favor because their acting company is staging “The Taming of the Shrew.”
This Sam and Bella Spewack (book) and Cole Porter (music and lyrics) musical was the first to win a Tony Award for best musical, in 1949.
“It has all this beautiful music by Cole Porter and also beautiful language by Bill Shakespeare,” said director Johanna McKenzie Miller, also a frequent onstage performer at the Marriott. Some aspects of the relationship between the leading couple can strike a nerve today, though that doesn’t bother the director.
“It’s a shame not to do these pieces because they are a challenge to a modern audience,” McKenzie Miller said. She added, “Many of the issues that come up in 1948 in ‘Kiss Me Kate’ and in 1590 in ‘The Taming of the Shrew,’ the way the women are treated specifically — trying to fit into a very male-dominated society — still apply today.”
In order to deal with those issues, McKenzie Miller has decided to switch the focus to the main female character Lilli Vanessi, who is played by Susan Moniz, and “her journey, her story,” the director said. “Lilli makes the biggest change. She starts the play in one place and ends it in a very different place.”
Moniz said that she is enjoying waging battle with Larry Adams, who plays Lilli’s ex-husband Fred Graham as well as Petruchio in the play-within-a
play. “I’ve known Larry for decades,” she said. “It’s great to be able to kick his butt.” She gets to do that both as Lilli and as Kate.
“I really love and respect Susan,” Adams declared. “She’s one of my favorite actresses. She’s a terrific actress and we’re having a great time already.” Take that, Susan Moniz!
Moniz described Lilli as “a really strong woman and she’s learning how to be her own individual in this time period and in the one in history. She’s learning what it is to be able to make her totally independent choices and what is right for her.”
Kate is taking a similar journey although the results are different for her in the end.
“Kate is always a fun role because you get to let it all loose,” Moniz said. “Lilli is a little bit more refined. They are different in how they speak to people.”
Adams said that Fred has kind of a dual personality. “He has a public side and a private side,” the actor explained. “I think his private side is a little more insecure than his public side. When he’s directing the company or when he’s onstage, he’s in command and sure of himself. But
behind the scenes with Lilli, he’s a little more insecure.”
In terms of Petruchio, “We’re trying to tamper down the violence a little bit,” Adams said, as his character seeks a wealthy, obedient wife.
Adams stressed that the show is about two particular people. “It’s not a general comment on all male behavior and all female behavior,” he said.
Through the high jinks in this show that is filled with irreverent humor, the cast gets to sing such wonderful songs as “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “So in Love,” “Wunderbar,” “Too
Darn Hot,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”
Moniz said that this show is relevant today because “it puts a spotlight on women and their ability to and their need to keep searching for who they are. They need to give themselves the permission to have confidence in their abilities and their strengths and their choices. That to me is always relevant.”
Adams praised director McKenzie Miller’s focus for this musical. “It’s a strong female story,” he said. “The thrust of this is Lilli. She’s trying to approach it from that angle which I think is good for this day and age.”
Kiss Me, Kate
When: Through Jan. 16
Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
Tickets: $50-$60 at 847634-0200; marriotttheatre. com/show/kiss-me-kate
COVID protocol: Audience members must provide proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 PCR test from the last 72 hours, or a negative antigen test from the last 6 hours. Masks are required in the theater.
1. “Detransition, Baby” by Torrey Peters
2. “Utopia Avenue” by David Mitchell
3.“Heartburn” by Nora Ephron
4. “I Hotel” by Karen Tei Yamashita
5. “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead
— Jess G., Philadelphia
You could do pretty well deciding to just read all of Oprah’s selections for her book club, which is where I was first introduced to this book, “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines.
1. “The Trees” by Percival Everett
2.“Crossroads” by Jonathan Franzen
3.“Matrix” by Lauren Groff
4. “Benjamin’s Crossing” by Jay Parini
5. “Second Place” by Rachel Cusk
— Larry F., Oak Lawn
Larry’s list of recent reads has 60% overlap with books I’ve read in the last month, so why not just recommend the book I just read and greatly enjoyed? “The Book of Form and Emptiness” by Ruth Ozeki.