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Watermill theatre, NewburyA multitalented cast bring gleeful spontaneity and big laughs to Paul Hart’s bold production, with choreography by Oti Mabuse
‘Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now” – or so the famous song goes. This absurdly talented cast must have also brushed up on their singing, dancing and instrumental skills – director Paul Hart has created the first actor-musician version of Kiss Me, Kate, with a tiny team of 12. There are a few wobbly notes and the big ensemble numbers are a little ragged, but the result of this bold new approach is a chorus completely in tune with each other. Here is a version of Cole Porter’s jazz-inflected romantic comedy that celebrates the pure joy of theatrical collaboration.
Sam and Bella Spewack’s sophisticated play-within-a-play book and Cole Porter’s exquisitely varied score – which includes Latin pastiche, vaudeville show tunes and steamy jazz songs – is a challenge for even the largest cast on a big budget. But the beauty of Hart’s production is that it makes a virtue out of its limitations. Continue reading...