Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shew” never sounded so good!

Musical “Kiss Me, Kate” at the Pasadena Playhouse is simply stellar

By Courtney Blackburn

What play–make that musical–could be worth a 45-minute wait from the time seated to the moment actual opening bars fill the air? It’s Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate,” from the Pasadena Playhouse, and do not worry: not only is there likely to be a much shorter wait when you see it (the opening night gala, after all, demands laudits and hand-shaking and speech-making for the talented and determinined contributors who bring it to fruition), but it is worth the wait. Well worth the wait. The musical comedy, infused with a rich, jazzy undertone, is packed with A-List talent (need we mention multi-Emmy Award winner Wayne Brady himself?), sumptuous costumes, sharp and sensual dancing, and so much witty wordplay that you’ll probably need to see it twice.
“Kiss Me, Kate” represents the iconic composer-lyricist Cole Porter at his very best and includes some of theatre’s most famouse songs: “Too Darn Hot,” “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” and the riotious “I Hate Men!” It is a play within a play: the story of an actor and his ex-wife who struggle to work together on a musical version of “The Taming of the Shrew;” Shakespeare’s comedy in which a bitter, nagging woman named Katherine is wooed and overcome by Petruchio, who wanted her money but falls in love with the woman as well by the end. Needless to say, the battles off the stage start to bleed into the “Taming,” and the result is a hilarious war of the sexes–and the exes. The show also celebrates the joys, madness, and rewards of working in the theatre, both onstage and off.
The Pasadena Playhouse production views the work through a new lens, using the wonderful material of this celebrated production to showcase the trailblazing African-American actors and entertainers of the early 20th century. Artistic Director Sheldon Epps and Executive Director Elizabeth Doran bring all a great show.
Wayne Brady is full of loveable smarm, manly magnatism, and a devastating baritone as Fred/Petruchio, the lead “actor” and ex-husband of shrew Lilli/Katherine (a truly magnificent Merle Dandridge), while standout Joanna A. Jones (playing Lois/Bianca) steals the show for about ten minutes in her big number “Always True to You in My Fashion,” singing alternately with kittenish innocence and full-throated sexuality as her character proclaims to be true to her love, the talented singer-dancer Bill/Lucentio (Terrance Spencer)–as long as men aren’t offering her nice things that she simply cannot resist. Other notables from the performance are a stunning re-visioning of the famous “Too Darn Hot” in a sexy jive/tapdance number starring Rogelio Douglas (playing Paul, actor Fred’s assistant); the belting power of Jenelle Lyn Randalle (Lilli’s assitant Hattie) in “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” the ackward perfection of David Kirk Grant and Brad Blaisdell as a pair of star-struck mob hitmen who remind the audience to “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” and the DANCING.
Fast-paced, laugh-packed, and above all else entertaining, “Kiss Me, Kate,” at the Pasadena Playhouse is a stellar production that is not to be missed.
“Kiss Me, Kate” will play through October 12. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00pm; Saturday at 4:00pm and 8:00pm; and Sunday at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Tickets, priced from $57 to $145, are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org; by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at (626) 356-7529; or visiting the box office, Tuesday – Sunday from 1:00pm until 6:00pm during non-performance dates. On performance dates the box office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1:00pm -8:00pm and on Sunday from 1:00pm – 7:00pm. For more information, please visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
Photo by Earl Gibson III-

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