It turns out that Hamlet isn’t the only work whose central plot device is a play within a play. Cole Porter’s musical Kiss Me, Kate, which is playing at Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre until January 3, employs the same conceit, and to brilliant effect.
The central narrative of Kiss Me, Kate involves a group of actors putting on a musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. The actors playing Shrew‘s two leads have previously been romantically involved; they reconcile briefly as the Kate opens, only to suffer a gross misunderstanding shortly thereafter. But the show must go on, of course. Thus, the drama of the two leads’ disintegrating relationship plays out as they gamely perform their version of Shrew. Laughter and a little bit of pathos ensure. Ultimately, the plot of Kiss Me, Kate comes to loosely resemble that of Shrew itself: meta!
Refreshingly, director Alan Paul’s production is faithful to the original play and quite conservative. The play is set in the year and location in which it was originally intended: 1948 Baltimore. (This is nearly a daring decision these days: I’ve seen far more Shakespeare productions set in modern times than in their original settings, for example.) Christine Sherrill and Douglas Sills are terrific as the two lead actors, and they are complemented by a stellar cast of dancers, singers, and comic actors. (Bob Ari and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod are particularly amusing as two mobsters unwittingly roped into performing in Shrew.) And, of course, Cole Porter’s score is dazzling, alternating between moving ballads, showpiece dance numbers, and witty ditties.
Kiss Me, Kate is playing at the Shakespeare Theatre until January 3. Tickets are available here.
