University of Virginia Library

Most Credit

But most credit has to go to Mr.
Webb, who approached this 1948
musical about a separated couple
starring in a musical version of
Shakespeare's "Taming of the
Shrew" and the bizarre adventures
and romantic by(and horse)-play
that ensue until they are reconciled
at final curtain, with much
confidence in the material and a
very special respect for Cole
Porter's solid gold score. To
engineer a musical production of
this magnitude on the Minor Hall
stage and emerge victorious is quite
an accomplishment.

There is a definite build to the
show upon which Mr. Webb has
capitalized. The musical, unlike
many, gains natural momentum as
it progresses, and Mr. Webb does

not stray from this course; his
staging never drags, nor does it try
to really milk the material until the
material lends itself to milking,
which occurs in the second act
(American musicals have
traditionally run into trouble in the
second act, but "Kiss Me Kate"
actually has a better second half
than first).

Whatever might be hokey and
contrived about Samuel and Bella
Spewack's libretto has been covered
up rather neatly by Mr. Webb's very
light, exaggerated comic treatment
of it. The approach borders on
being tongue-in-cheek without ever
actually becoming that (except in
the sequences when the authors
intended it to). It's a delicate
balance to maintain, but Mr. Webb
has managed to do just that, with
the result being a fast-paced story
development through humorous,
concise dialogue which remains
surprisingly pungent when it could
easily have come across stale.