Kiss Me, Kate 2003

The backstage world of a Broadway-bound musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew crackles with egos, laughter, and a split between stage life and real life. At the center is a tense dynamic between two former lovers who still share the spotlight: the production’s director and star, Fred Graham / Petruchio, and his movie-star ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi / Katherine, who presses him about a recent pursuit of the young actress Lois Lane. The rehearsal is a mix of song, swagger, and sharp exchanges as the company readies for the opening night number “Another Op’nin’, Another Show.” Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, works through the tension with her boyfriend Bill, who is supposed to be Lucentio onstage but has spent the day gambling and returning with trouble in his wake. He reveals that he signed a $10,000 IOU in Fred’s name, a debt Lois clearly condemns, setting the first ripple of trouble in motion.

Backstage, the mood shifts between flirtation, nostalgia, and scheming. Lilli reminds Fred of their shared history and flashes a ring from Harrison Howell, a Washington insider and her fiancé, while the duo reminisce about the operetta in which they first met, including the Viennese waltz “Wunderbar.” The tension thickens when two gangsters arrive to collect the IOU, and Fred insists he never signed it; the gangsters give him time to jog his memory, with plans to return later. In the dressing room, Lilli receives flowers from Fred and proclaims she’s still “So In Love” with him, though the card with the flowers is meant for Lois. Fred tries to hide the truth, but Lilli takes the card to read later, leaving him to wonder whether the storm can be weathered.

As the curtain rises onstage, the show-within-a-show begins with “We Open in Venice.” Baptista—Bianca’s father—won’t permit Bianca’s marriage until Kate is wed, but Kate is famously sharp-witted and unyielding. The suitors Lucentio, Hortensio, and Gremio woo Bianca with charm and humor, while Petruchio arrives from Lucentio’s circle hoping to marry into wealth. The rumor mill inside the troupe is alive as the actors sing of love in “Tom, Dick, or Harry” and Petruchio declares his intent to “wive it Wealthily in Padua.” Kate’s retort to marriage is fierce: “I Hate Men.” Petruchio counters with his own brand of bold courtship, and the onstage romance begins to bloom even as the real-life tensions simmer. Offstage, Lilli, unable to remain in character, tentatively reads the card but then returns to a surprising moment—the onstage marriage of Petruchio and Kate happens just as the gangsters appear in Shakespearean costumes to ensure Lilli cannot walk away. The scene culminates with Petruchio’s playful domination as he carries Kate offstage, while she delivers a punchy, comic resistance: “Kiss Me Kate.”

Act II opens with a laugh-filled intermission in the alley behind the theatre, where the cast frets that it’s Too Darn Hot to stay apart from their lovers. The musical within the musical continues, and Petruchio persists in taming Kate as he laments the bachelor life he’s about to lose, singing about what life was like before the marriage bond, in “Where Is the Life That Late I Led?”. Meanwhile, the backstage world buzzes with personal entanglements: Harrison Howell searches for Lilli, and Lois Lane encounters him, recognizing him as a former lover but promising not to tell Lilli. Bill pours his heart into a love song for Lois, a number that showcases their complicated bond, presented as a fragile but sincere moment in “Bianca.” Lois assures Bill that her faithfulness comes in her own way, even if it doesn’t fit the conventional mold, in a performance that livens the room and deepens the ensemble’s ties.

The plot thickens when the gangsters discover their boss has been killed, rendering the IOU invalid. Lilli exits, leaving Howell behind as Fred presses to keep her in the production in order to safeguard the show’s future and his own finances. The company then riffs into a clever, meta-theatrical sequence—a playful nod to Shakespeare’s romance—“Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” where the gangsters perform a cheeky homage to the Bard and remind everyone that knowing Shakespeare can unlock romance. The troupe rallies for the final act of the play-within-a-play, Bianca and Lucentio’s wedding, though crucial characters are momentarily missing. Just in time for a climactic conclusion, Lilli reappears for Katherine’s final speech, and the tension dissolves as Fred and Lilli reconcile on stage. The curtain falls not only on the couple’s renewed bond but also on Bill and Lois sharing a passionate kiss, sealing the joyous finale of Kiss Me Kate.

I Hate Men

In the end, the production resolves with warmth and humor, balancing backstage chaos with a celebratory celebration of love and partnership. The performers—led by the charged dynamic between Lilli Vanessi / Katherine, Fred Graham / Petruchio, Bill Calhoun / Lucentio, and Harrison Howell—underscore the timeless themes of theater, romance, and the price and pleasure of putting on a show. The result is a long, lively retelling that stays true to the heart of the original musical while giving readers a clear, entertaining sense of its stagecraft, humor, and music.