Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew.
Egotistical Fred Graham is the director of a Broadway-bound musical version of William Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew'. He and his diva movie-star ex-wife Lilli Vanessi star opposite each other in the roles of Petruchio and Katharine. The pair argue backstage as only people in love can argue. Meanwhile, Fred's girl, Lois Lane, who plays Bianca, is romantically interested in Bill Calhoun, the actor playing Lucentio. Bill loves to gamble, and it turns out that he has signed Fred's name to a big IOU. Also, flowers sent by Fred to Lois mistakenly get delivered to Lilli, and Lilli realizes that she still loves Fred.
Everyone is in the middle of performing The Taming of the Shrew on stage when Lilli discovers that Fred's flowers were really intended for Lois, and she starts an all-out war mid-performance that threatens the production's success. At the same time, a pair of gangsters have come after Fred to collect the gambling debt, since his name is on the IOU. Only a successful show will provide the money that Fred needs to avoid getting his fingers broken. Fred slyly uses the gangsters to prevent the furious Lilli from walking out on the show. The gangsters join the cast to keep an eye on Lilli. Lilli channels her anger into a fierce performance as Katharine, and Fred is forced to spank her as Petruchio.
Later, the gangsters learn that their boss has been killed, and so the IOU is worthless, and they leave, noting that guys who know Shakespeare can impress the ladies. Lilli quits the show, walking out with her dependable fiance Harrison. On stage, Bianca and Lucentio are finally married. As "The Shrew" comes to a close, Lilli unexpectedly returns to the stage, and speaking as Katharine, she admits her love for Fred. Lilli and Fred are reunited, Lois and Bill come together, and all ends happily.
LAMP cast 2004
- Fred Graham (Petruchio)... Keith Gibson
- Lilli Vanessi (Katharine)... Lorna Robertson
- Bill Calhoun (Lucentio)... Craig Gourlay
- Lois Lane (Bianca)... Roseanne Mylles
- Harrison Howell... Bob Clark
- 1st Gangster... Paul Rice
- 2nd Gangster... Eric Brown
- Harry Trevor (Baptista)... Gordon Smith
- Paul (Hortensio)... David Wylie
- Hattie... Susan McFarlane
- ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER... NICOLA HUGHES
- MUSICAL DIRECTOR... EDDIE MACLENNAN
- ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY... LESLEY SCOTT
