Play with the many layers of Kiss Me, Kate
Ahh, that crazy old Bard sure knows a thing or two about bringing drama and laughter together – but what happens when you throw a bickering couple into the writing mix? Coming to QPAC on Saturday November 12 to combine the surprising creative duo of Cole Porter and Shakespeare is Kiss Me, Kate, a rollicking musical play within a play that pushes theatre to its limits with hilarious results.
The crew from OperaQ has gone all out with Kiss Me, Kate, recruiting Australian opera royalty and real-life couple Peter Coleman-Wright and Cheryl Barker for the lead roles of Fred and Lilli. They play ex-partners working together on a musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, but their past sees them constantly butting heads, as leading lady Lilli is reluctant to take direction from Fred. The backstage storyline continues to evolve with the addition of an ambitious showgirl, a shady gambler and some straight-up gangsters who fall in love with the limelight.
The whole concept of Kiss Me, Kate has been touched by musical theatre legends since its birth in 1948. Originally written by husband-and-wife writing duo Bella and Samuel Spewack, the story was inspired by actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne who were having some pretty gnarly arguments on the set of their production of Shrew. Plagued by their own relationship woes, the Spewacks threw a dose of vitriol laced with humour into the script and enlisted the help of Cole Porter for music and lyrics. Talk about a tangled web! This organised chaos carries over to the exceptionally crafted Australian offering, which is hitting the QPAC stage for the first time in more than 20 years.
Feel like you need a dose of drama in your life? There are still tickets available to Kiss Me, Kate and you can nab them through QTIX.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
