‘Kiss Me, Kate’ is a fiery delight
Plan on enjoying Skylight’s production of “Kiss Me, Kate.”
The show, which opened this pasweekend, is packed with wit, fabulous Cole Porter songs, fiery character portrayals, high-energy jazz dancing choreographed by Amy Brinkman, and stylish playing from the pit, under music director Kurt Cowling.
"Kate" tells the story of a pair of actors who, once married to each other, can’t keep their personal squabbles out of their onstage and backstage interactions through a touring production of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Skylight’s take on the 1948 musical is sprinkled with some latter-day updates, most of which come from relatively recent Broadway revivals.
Directed by Skylight artistic director Ray Jivoff, the production handles the decidedly sexist subject matter of the “taming,” or subjugation, of a woman by tempering it with a temper. Rána Roman plays Lilli Vanessi/Katherine with absolute fury and physical ferocity, turning what could be objectionable scenes into battles between equals.
Roman and Andrew Varela, playing Fred Graham/Petruchio, give the production a rock-solid center. They are wonderfully matched firebrands, using a disparity in their heights to dramatic and comic advantage.
They both sing their roles with power, facility and polished, beautifully matched sounds. They also tear into their characters’ verbal and physical sparring with an all-in commitment that never falters.
The rest of the cast is an equally strong, polished ensemble, sporting big, strong voices and, many of them, some serious dancing skill.
Kaylee Annable delivers a sweet, not-so-innocent, dim-witted Lois Lane. Doug Jarecki and Kelly Doherty are spot on in gangster portrayals that include a wonderfully hilarious “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”
Joe Capstick adds some scenestealing tap dancing as Bill Calhoun/ Lucentio, while Jonathan Gillard Daly is a loopy chameleon as Harry Trevor/ Baptista/Howell.
Sean Anthony Jackson (Paul/Hortensio) and Tim Rebers (Gremio/ Flynt), along with Ashley Rodriguez, Haley Haupt, Sydney Kirkegaard, Carmen Risi and Ryan Cappleman fill supporting and chorus roles and add strong voices and high-energy dancing to the production.
The production, which lags just a bit under a few first-act pacing issues, plays on a creative, folding, reversible set designed by Robert Little, which does a brilliant job of creating the insular world of a touring theater company.
Costumes designed by Jason Orlenko place the production firmly in the 1940s.