University of Virginia Library

Players Rehearse 'Kiss Me Kate'

By TUCK BUSSEY

Photo By Roy Alson

Prinz, Taylor, And Director Webb: "A Fun Show To Do"

Rehearsals for the Virginia
Players' production of "Kiss Me
Kate" began last week under the
direction of Peter Webb, fourth
year drama major and a veteran of
the Minor Hall stage. This is the
first musical production by the
Players in four years, and it will be
their season opener.

The production, scheduled to
premiere October 25, also marks
the debut of several new faces on
the Minor Hall stage. The male lead
is Joe Taylor, a graduate drama
student from Alabama. Moments
before rehearsal began, he could be
seen sitting cross-legged in the
lobby, exercising his voice. He
stopped long enough to offer
comments on the drama program at
the University, and his role. He was
clearly pleased at being selected to
play Petruchio in this Cole Porter
musical, which closely parallels
Shakespeare's "The Taming of the
Shrew." Noting that the tryouts
were good, he expressed surprise at
the number of talented people in
the drama program here.

Among those talented people is
another newcomer to the Virginia
stage scene, Pat Prinz, a doctoral
candidate in English, who will
appear as Bianca. Director Webb
sees a bright future for this comely
blond. She is the only one of the
four leads who has not worked
professionally.

One who has is David Gwin, a
graduate drama student who, like
Taylor, comes to the University
from Alabama. Gwin takes the role
of Lucentio, and plays opposite
Miss Prinz.

Rounding out the principals is
Mardi Billings, a Charlottesville
resident. As Kate, she carries much
of the weight of the show on her
shoulders, but as a former student
of the American Theatre Wing in
New York City and a veteran of
Albemarle Playhouse productions,
plus one appearance with the
Players this summer, she appears
well prepared for this important
role.

Musicals, with the choreography
that they entail, offer special
production problems, and given the
limited size of the stage here, those
problems become all the more
acute. Webb seemed unperturbed
by the obstacles that faced him.
"I'd certainly like a bigger stage,"
he noted, "but as the set has been
designed it's going to work quite
well and it's going to be one of the
most exciting sets that's ever been
seen on the Minor Hall stage."

The designer of that set, David
Weiss, Chairman of the Department
of Speech and Drama, was not
always quite as confident as his
young director. In comments to the
assembled cast, Weiss lightly noted
that upon hearing Webb's
suggestion for the season opener, he
simply told him, "Forget it, Peter."
Since that time, however, Weiss has
made plans for a complicated but
eminently workable set.

The first rehearsal went well,
according to Director Webb. He
appeared somewhat frustrated at
first by the sheer number of people
on stage, but the experienced cast
followed his direction well and
little time was wasted. At evening's
end, Webb pronounced his actors
"a very intelligent cast," and
reconfirmed his belief that, despite
the magnitude of the undertaking,
"Kiss Me Kate" would be a "a fun
show to do."