‘Kiss Me Kate’ at Show Palace is superb
“Kiss Me Kate” is a musical comedy concept that is really a play within a play. When done well, it is hilarious. At Show Palace Theatre in Hudson, Cole Porter’s musical score has never been more lush, and Shakespeare never more funny. “Kiss Me, Kate” is one of the great classics of American theatre, with book by Sam and Bella Spewack and music and lyrics by Porter. To say that this production is done well is an understatement. It is gloriously fun, and vastly entertaining.
Edward Miskie plays leading man Fred Graham/Petrichio and Jillian Prefach plays his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi/Katherine. SHOW PALACE ENTERTAINMENT
Directed by Jason Fortner, and brilliantly choreographed by Andi Sperduti-Garner, this show is fresh, funny, sophisticated, and highly energetic. Scenic Designer Tom Hansen created amazing backstage sets and painted backdrops depicting Renaissance Italy. Costume Coordinator Pat Werner has the cast looking splendid, whether in the Elizabethan costumes of Shakespeare’s day, to the 1940s attire of the actors backstage. Porter’s music and lyrics are timeless, and in the hands of music director, Bill Cusick, every note sparkles as bright as when the show won the first Tony Award for Best Musical when the category was introduced in 1949.
This play within a play has each cast member in a dual role. Fred Graham (Edward Miskie,) and Lilli Vanessi ( Jillian Prefach) on the one year anniversary of their very acrimonious divorce, headline the travelling road show of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” starring as Petruchio, the suitor, and the fiery tempered Kate. It is clear to everyone but them that they are still in love, as their backstage battle gets carried onstage with comic combat performances.
Prefach is brilliant as the fiery Kate, as she flings flower pots from her bedroom window at any suitor who dares to woo her from the street below. She and Miskie are paired quite well, each playing off the other, as they banter and perform these highly demanding physical comedic roles. Her lovely voice gets a workout as she screams shrilly at her suitors, then hits gorgeous operatic high notes in the same breath. But what a voice!
Miskie definitely has the physical persona for the role — tall and handsome, with an arrogant flair and voice of velvet. You may swoon in “Were Thine That Special Face,” and laugh out loud in “Where is the Life that I Lead.” Prefach sings a lovely “So in Love,” when she thinks that Fred has sent her flowers, and maybe he does love her after all. But when she learns that the flowers were meant for Lois Lane, (Andi Sperduti-Garner) who plays Bianca, she drips venom as Kate in “I Hate Men,” glaring at Fred as Petruchio, taking her backstage anger out on him onstage.
Sperduti-Garner as Lois Lane playing Bianca, the lovely, younger sister of unmarriageable Kate, is cute and sexy as the precocious comedienne in “Tom, Dick or Harry,” as she sings about who she will marry as soon as her sister Kate finds a mate. As Lois, she is the ditzy, sexy brunette, with a shrewd edge as she uses her sensuality to seduce.
Adam Biner plays Bill Calhoun, Lois’s backstage squeeze and Lucentio, her onstage lover. Biner’s athleticism is mesmerizing, and his strong voice flawless in “Bianca.” Together their dance moves are magical.
The ones who steal the show are James Demetrius as First Man, and Bobby Underwood as Second Man. These guys are a formidable team of gangsters, out to collect a gambling debt from Fred, and are gut busting hilarious in “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” Deidra Grace as Hattie, Lilli’s dresser, fills the stage with her beautiful voice as she opens the show with “Another Op’nin’, Another Show.” Aaron Washington, playing Paul, is marvelous as he belts out “Too Darn Hot,” accompanied by the Ensemble as they perform the ballet and acrobatic movements flawlessly, leaving the crowd breathless. They are poetry in motion.
Itzy Friedman as Harry Trevlor/Baptista, the exasperated father of Kate and Bianca, is a great character actor, always a pleasure to watch. And Rick Kistner, Lilli’s fiancé, the blustery, self-absorbed General Harrison Howell, is a hoot.
“Kiss Me, Kate” has witty dialogue and all in all, just pure fun. Don’t miss it.
“Kiss Me, Kate” runs through Oct. 26 with a matinee on Thursdays and Saturdays, an evening performance on Saturday and some Fridays and a Sunday brunch performance. For Thursday and Saturday matinees, the doors open at 11:30 a.m., the meal starts at noon and the show is at 1:15 p.m. For the Sunday matinees, the doors open at 1 p.m., the dinner is served at 1:30 p.m. and the show is at 3 p.m. For the evening shows the doors open at 6 p.m. the dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the show is at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.showpalace.net or call (727) 863-7949. Dinner and Show is $49.50 plus tax. Gratuities not included. Call for children’s pricing.
