University of Virginia Library

Lively Steps

Yet, above all, we have the
music-and "Kiss Me Kate" is a
very musical musical. There is a
great amount of dancing-Miss
Garren has provided the
choreography and has created some
lively steps-and sixteen wonderful
songs for the actors to belt out.
About eight of them have
show stopper potential-depending
upon how well they are
performed-and they are all done
justice by the amazingly gifted
actors that Mr. Webb has somehow
found and excellently cast. Indeed,
the most distinct pleasure the show
has to offer is in the spirited
rendition of the individual
numbers.

For instance, there is Joe
Taylor, all cunning and romantic
conceit as Fred/Petruchio,
bouncing around the stage
delivering his lusty ode to
bachelorhood, "Where is The Life
That Late I Led?," tossing away his
little black book in the process.
There is Mardi Billings, fiery-eyed
and charmingly explosive as Miss
Vanessi/Kate, staring
tempestuously at the audience,
banging a tin cup against a tin plate,
and violently proclaiming "I Hate
Men!"

There is David Gwin, Innocent
and foppish as Bill/Lucentio,
singing of his love for "Bianca," in
one of the more humorous and
winning love songs ever composed
Then there is the team of Ed Steele
and Ken Lambert, who, after
endearing themselves to the
audience with their sharply pointed
caricatures of two not-so-smart
gangsters trying to collect a debt
from Mr. Taylor, break into "Brush
Up Your Shakespeare" and break
up the house, adding their personal
antic touch to one of Porter's more
clever lyrics.