HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE KATE?


In the years since its 1948 Broadway debut, Kiss Me,


Kate has become one of the most celebrated works in the musical theatre canon, but has also spawned controversy. The


debate around Kiss Me, Kate centers on the relationship between the show’s principal characters, ex-spouses and musical co-stars Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham. As Lilli and Fred channel an offstage conflict into their onstage performances on the opening night of their latest show, Fred takes it upon himself to “tame” Lilli’s improvisational behavior in ways that verge on aggressive and even abusive. After episodes of fighting, spanking, and manipulation, Lilli reconciles with Fred and apologizes on behalf of all women for such disobedient behavior as her own.


It is the show’s apparent approval of Fred’s more troublesome actions—and furtherance of the idea that women should be subservient to men—that, for many, puts Kiss Me, Kate on questionable moral footing. So why revive a musical that seems to espouse outdated and potentially dangerous views of gender roles?


REVIVALS AND RESPONSIBILITY


The job of an effective revival is not to deliver a carbon copy of a show’s original production or necessarily reiterate its original message. Rather, it is to contend with the truths of the past through the lens of the present. Kiss Me, Kate’s status as a landmark “Great American Musical” with a story and songbook that are woven deeply into the fabric of our art form makes the truths of its past particularly important to address.


14 ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY


A classic show like Kiss Me, Kate can tell us a lot about the time in which it was created. Prevailing attitudes and beliefs of the 1940s can be deduced from how the show treats its characters, stages its comedy, and frames its musical numbers. These attitudes and beliefs, as distant or contentious as they may sometimes be, remain a part of our history and are therefore in conversation with the major societal questions of today. As in any conversation, perspectives may clash, but together all can help us achieve a greater understanding of our present moment.


As written, the message of Kiss Me, Kate may very well be problematic. But, in conjunction with some other shows in Roundabout’s 2018-2019 season that disavow the traditional gender roles that Kiss Me, Kate may affirm— namely, Theresa Rebeck’s Bernhardt/Hamlet, Alexi Kaye Campbell’s Apologia, and Ming Peiffer’s Usual Girls— Kiss Me, Kate can contribute to current dialogues about misogyny by investigating the cultural norms that drove it decades ago and that persist today.


NEW PRODUCTIONS, NEW APPROACHES Roundabout’s current revival of Kiss Me, Kate dives into these dialogues by exploring the ways in which both Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi wield power in their passionate and often explosive relationship. In the words of director Scott Ellis, “These are two extremely strong people, who are jockeying throughout the show. How do we keep strength on both sides?”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24