Review: Kiss Me Kate, Cinema Screening

Kiss Me, Kate won the first ever Tony Award for best musical in 1949 and has since had a long history of successful runs on both Broadway and the West End. It has colourful characters, a simple but timeless love story and catchy show tunes written by the legendary Cole Porter.

This illustrious history makes it a big challenge for director Bartlett Sher and stars Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block to take on. Their recent production at the Barbican, now available to watch in cinemas, leans into the show’s pedigree as a bombastic musical extravaganza, complete with a sixteen-piece orchestra and a large ensemble of backing dancers.

This live recording captures the energy of the stage show and renders it on the silver screen. Dunbar’s TV background serves him well performing on the screen and the subtleties of his acting translate well to cinema.

From the beginning Sher’s version musters all the resources that a large West End production has available, which left me asking two questions: Does this version live up to Kiss Me, Kate’s legacy? And what have they done to make it unique?

In terms of the first question, this show is as spellbindingly entertaining as any of the great West End shows I have seen. The orchestra are exceptionally talented and perform with gusto, creating a relentless energy. Right from the first number, ’Another Op’nin’, Another Show’, the cast delivers a dazzling spectacle.

There are many very entertaining musical sequences. ‘Too Damn Hot’ is especially mesmerising, beginning with a lone performer (Jack Butterworth) singing, before expanding into a huge musical number across several set pieces, in different locations shown through a revolving stage. The whole song is breathtaking, particularly Stemp’s incredible dancing.

Amongst the many talented cast members, Block wows with her amazing singing voice and excellent comic timing. Georgina Onuorah as Lois Lane is a superb singer, and her solo number ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’ is one of the highlights of the show.

Hammed Animashaun and Nigel Lindsay deliver stand out performances as the Gangsters, by being not only hilarious comic performers but by bringing their characters’ mannerisms into their songs. Their uproarious rendition of ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ is brilliantly funny, perfectly conveying the wit of Porter’s songwriting.

This show attracted attention with the casting of Dunbar in the lead role, and he is great in the comic scenes and has strong stage presence throughout. His voice is not as powerful as the seasoned musical performers, but he acquits himself well during his own songs.

Sher shies away from contemporary interpretations of the original material, keeping the late 1940s setting. In an opening Q&A to this broadcast, cast members talked about wanting to address the sexism of both the original show – seen in songs like ‘I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple’ – and the source material of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. This addresses my second question, is Sher’s version unique? Although there are some knowing nods towards the more sexist moments of the show, this only acknowledges the problematic elements rather than subverting them and could perhaps have done more to challenge them.

If you missed Kiss Me, Kate when it was at the Barbican, then this cinema run is perfect to catch this musical spectacular.

Directed by: Bartlett Sher
Choreography by: Anthony Van Laast
Set design by: Michael Yeargan
Costume design by: Catherine Zuber
Lighting Design by: Donald Holder
Souond design by: Adam Fisher
Music supervision by: Stephen Ridley

Kiss Me Kate will be screened at various locations until 21 December. Further information, including dates and locations, can be found here.