KISS ME, KATE
Played at Shakespeare Theatre Company in 2015, and at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre in 2018.
Director: Alan Paul
Choreographer: Michele Lynch
Music Director/Orchestrator: Doug Peck
Associate Music Director/Conductor: James Cunningham
Dance Arrangements: Michael Dansicker
Scenic Designer: James Noone
Costume Designer: Alejo Vietti
Lighting Designer: Paul Miller
Sound Designer: Justin Stasiw
Fight Director: David Leong
DC. Cast (2015):
Cast: Fred Graham: Douglas Sills, Lilli Vanessi: Christine Sherrill, Lois Lane: Robyn Hurder, Bill Calhoun: Clyde Alves, First Man: Bob Ari, Second Man: Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, Harrison Howell: Patrick Ryan Sullivan, Paul: T. Oliver Reid, Hattie: Zonya Love, Ralph: Bev Appleton, Harry Trevor: Harry A. Winter, Pops: Elliot Dash, Hortensio: Brandon Bieber, Gremio: Con O’Shea-Creal
Ensemble: Jay Adriel, Kristen Smith Davis, Susan Derry, Carl Draper, Heidi Kershaw, Monette McKay, Eliza Ohman, Alfie Parker Jr., Olivia Russell
Swings: Stephanie Bissonnette, Kevin Michael Raponey, Wood Van Meter
Seattle Cast (2018):
Cast: Fred Graham: Ben Davis, Lilli Vanessi: Cayman Ilicka, Lois Lane: Robyn Hurder, Bill Calhoun: Clyde Alves, First Man: Richard Ziman, Second Man: Allen Galli, Harrison Howell: Allen Fitzpatrick, Paul: Ty Willis, Hattie: Sarah Russell, Ralph: Matt Wolfe, Harry Trevor: Jeff Steitzer, Pops: Ekello Harrid Jr., Hortensio: Richard Peacock, Gremio: Con O’Shea-Creal.
Ensemble: Tom Benstsen, Alex Crozier, Jade Solomon Curtis, Sapphire Goetz, Davione Gordon, Danielle Kelsey, Trina Mills, Annie Morro, Taylor Niemeyer, Katy Tabb, Joel Walker.
REVIEWS
“Kiss Me, Kate is vintage Broadway-style entertainment…and Paul continues to show that he knows how to snap together such a massive puzzle.”
“Alan Paul delivers this show in a whirlwind of beautiful, seamless pacing that results in entertainment far bigger and more bountiful than any of its parts.”
“It’s pretty plain by now that Alan Paul, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Associate Artistic Director and resident musical genie, knows his way around a Broadway musical. More than that, he has a gift for getting to the heart of a show and lets you see it beating and beating some more.”
“Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Kiss Me Kate, directed by Alan Paul, is a sumptuous rendition of that hilariously imperfect world. It’s colorful. It’s emotional. It’s rambunctiously funny. It’s fast-paced. It’s so well-sung and performed. And it’s so much fun!”
“Paul expertly helms a Kate that’s a sweet homage not only to Porter’s score, but to the 1953 film.”
“Don’t miss this Wunderbar production of a great American classic.”
“The bar is set high. Happily for us this holiday season, Shakespeare Theatre Company clears that bar and pole-vaults over it with this boisterous production.”
“Director Alan Paul… outdoes himself here. He has assembled a cast that can do it all: sing, dance and act. He then directs them with finesse to perfection. This is a production that should head to Broadway.”
Photos by Scott Suchman