KISS ME, KATE (2019 Roundabout Revival) - Previews- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/14/19 at 11:52pm

You know I love design, is it as glorious and interesting as She Loves Me?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 12:05am

No, the set isn’t on the same level as the She Loves Me revival, but in fairness the entire musical takes place in a Baltimore theater that our characters do not seem to think too highly of. There are scenes in the dressing rooms, backstage and then the onstage, play within a play, scenes. There isn’t a turntable to rotate from backstage to onstage- it’s pretty straightforward, and like the production as a whole- fine, but uninspired.

[broadwayboy222]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 12:06am

Three Questions: 1. Any notable changes or cuts with the “updated book” for this revival? 2. I know it’s most likely way too early to tell but any Tony Nom predictions for this revival? And 3. Anyone stage door? If so, who came out? Love this show, I just had the chance to perform it at my college and am very curious to hear more! :)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 12:10am

I didn’t really notice many changes to the book. It felt like that of the last revival; From This Moment On is included, though I never felt like this added song did much for the show.

This will obviously be nominated for revival, as this and Oklahoma are the only two revivals this season, and it would be shocking if both O’Hara and Chase weren’t nominated. Everything else is too early too tell.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 12:20am

I wasn't familiar with the show before tonight so I can't speak to any changes or compare this production to others, but I feel similarly to Whizzer. The music was beautiful and wonderfully sung. I love Will Chase and thought he was particularly strong. The choreography was great, particularly for Too Darn Hot (that was definitely the show-stopper). Some parts dragged for me (I couldn't wait for the gangsters to get off the stage in Brush Up Your Shakespeare, though maybe that was just me because the rest of the audience seemed to be enjoying it), and I just wasn't very caught up in the story. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't stellar to me. 

Running time was 2 hours, 50 minutes. 

[\_(•_•)_/]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 12:27am

For the people who went, how was Steaphine and Corbin?

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 1:31am

I was there too. So sorry I missed meeting you, Whizzer.

I agree that Too Darn Hot was a true showstopper. I literally wanted to jump to my feet, giving it a standing ovation. Just amazing. And “Tom, Dick or Harry” showcased how great Stephanie Styles (in her spectaural Broadway debut!) is. I hope she gets a Tony nom. 


If it’s not apparent, I enjoyed it more than Whizzer. This was my first introduction to the show. I thought it was pure bliss from beginning to end. It’s not a deep show. It was hard for me to believe this was the first preview because it felt like perfection to me. It’s a trifle of a show (much like Hello, Dolly!), but sometimes that’s what we need. I was on verge of tears a few times from pure bliss (Too Darn Hot) and being touched (both O’Hara’s So In Love plus Chase’s reprise). Of course, O’Hara’s voice is a glorious wonder. I thought she was hilarious. I’m praying for a cast recording. Corbin Bleu’s dancing (especially tap dancing) also wowed me.

I had the So in Love cocktail during Act 1. Just so you know, it has ice in it so you’ll have to be careful with ice sounds during the show. For Act 2, I had the Kiss Me Cocktail (no ice). Both were delish.

I was surprised they had merch for first preview. I got a magnet and a mug. The mug is slightly oversized like I like and says Kiss Me, Kate on one side and Too Darn Hot on other. It has a handle shaped like a heart. Quite fitting for Valentine’s Day.

A note about seating. I was a little nervous about front mezz as I had horrible experience with rear mezz here once. Well, front mezz - I sat DD 118 - is better but only marginally. In fact, couple next to me were from Pennsylvania. He has had one knee replacement surgery and gets cramps. He ended up standing in entryway for entire show. I was okay, but just barely.

Now if you think those who stagedoor are the spawn of Satan, you can stop reading now.

Most of cast came out including Will, Corbin, Stephanie and Kelli. All but Kelli did selfies but all were lovely. And stagedoor wasn’t crazy.

Also, at the risk of sounding like a lush, my hotel concierge pointed me to a speakeasy just a block away from Studio 54 for a pre-show cocktail. It’s called Flûte and I highly recommend the Green Kimono. 

Update: After having less than stellar experiences with revivals (MFL, OOTI) last June, my faith In revivals is now restored this trip after seeing Fiddler on Monday night and KMK last night. And both were on the first night of previews! 

Updated On: 2/19/19 at 01:31 AM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 1:35am

Did any songs get cut? Is "From This Moment On" used in the same scene as the last revival or has it been interpolated elsewhere?

Also, are they using an Overture before the opening number?

Updated On: 2/15/19 at 01:35 AM

[Here I Am]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 2:37am

I’m not going to comment on this production because it was the first preview and it has a LONG way to go. The show is very special and personal to me, so I also have to take that into consideration.

Anyway, I just wanted to answer CATSNYrevival’s questions:

1) “From This Moment On” is used in the same place as the last revival.

2) Nope, no overture or opening announcement. The house lights go dim and the curtain rises on the ghost light.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 3:21am

I was kind of hoping we’d get the Overture for the next revival. Ah well.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 4:02am

Gonna echo ._. How were Corbin and Stephanie

[Auggie27]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 6:34am

The casting of Chase is terrific, as is the report of his already successful take on the role. He's quite a powerful actor, and if anyone recalls his recent work in a few defining scenes of "Sharp Objects," he has enormous range. He's only become stronger, with more colors and depth, in his 40s. May this revival launch a new phase of his career.   

[Here I Am]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 6:43am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Gonna echo ._. How were Corbin and Stephanie"

Corbin and Stephanie were the two highlights.

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 7:10am

Auggie, I totally agree with you about Chase. He has only gotten better with age. I realize I’ve now seen Chase on stage and screen quite a bit, and his voice has never sounded this full or rich. Once he fully embraces Fred’s inner ham, this could easily be a career highlight.

This is now the fourth show in which I’ve seen Corbin Bleu, and vocally this the best I’ve heard him. He has the hunky good looks to be a matinee idol, but IMO you can see the effort in his dancing. There’s much athleticism, but it’s still lacking some finesse. “Bianca” started off nicely, but it’s a dance number and really needs to wow at the end. Like we need to be breathless the way an audience is watching Fred Astaire pull off “Drum Crazy” in Easter Parade (a high standard to hold someone to, for sure), but we all know that Bill’s big moment is the “Bianca” dance break and it must deliver.

I agree with Here I Am in that there’s no point in picking the show apart too much now because it obviously is a work in progress with a way to go.

[Caye2]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 8:33am

I was at the first preview last night as well, and really enjoyed myself.  Had a smile on my face most of the night!

This is the first time I have ever seen Kiss Me Kate, and I was wondering if the choreography has been changed or if all the dances have been maintained from the original production.  The dance sequences were the highlight of the show!

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 8:49am

I saw this on a whim tonight, buying one of the four remaining seats a few hours before. I hate to give my opinions after seeing a show once, because the second time usually I question all my first time opinions. But some observations.

I thought that the show was very polished, for its first preview, at least in the mechanical sense that nothing in the set proved to be hazardous and none of the dancers went flying. The chorus and in particular the dancers were very strong and the dances were vibrant. The long ovation for "Too Darn Hot" was deserved. I think another dance might have gotten the next longest ovation, perhaps the bawdy "Tom, Dick or Harry."

If the dancers were getting the biggest ovation, that may give you a clue about the rest of this production.

From her strong first act performances of "Why Can't You Behave" and "Tom, Dick or Harry," Stephanie Styles jumped out at me as a potential Tony nominee. My mind wasn't changed by the second act. "Always True to You in My Fashion," a song that I've had problems with in the past due to length and monotony, Stephanie sings about six verses in a charming way.

The other song that had bothered me as being long and irrelevant to be used so late in the second act was "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." I had an easier time with this song because there were only two gangsters and they kept the song down to five or six verses. I thought the audienced liked them.

I haven't said anything about Kelli O'Hara. Not sure what to say. I guess I think that she was under-utilized. She sang with the company the two well known and popular "Another Op'nin'" and "We Open in Venice." In between came the two really heartfelt songs of the production, "Wunderbar" as recollected by Fred and Lilli at the time of their marriage, and "So in Love." (About six years ago when I first seriously listened to the recording of the last revival, I liked Marin Mazzie so much in those two songs that I actually tweeted her to give praise. And she responded by highlighting it, or whatever you do on Twitter. After hearing Kelli sing these songs exactly once, I'll stay with Marin for now.)

The "Taming of the Shrew" enactment that closes Act 1 ends with a long and spirited fight between Katharine and Petruchio.To please the feminists, there is no spanking. But there are numerous punches and kicks, with Lily giving three for each that she took. That balances the books, I guess. Although initial audience reaction was good to this battle of the sexes, it went on too long without reaching a climax. Maybe they can fix this. I shouldn't forget that the title of "I am Ashamed That Women are Simple" was changed to "People are Simple." It's still one of the weaker songs coming at a climatic point.

In explaining her motivation for doing this production, Kelli said that she really wanted to explore the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio, discover why they had broken up although they were clearly still in love together. If any of this happened at this preview, I must have dozed of while it was going on. Not much continuity for Kelli with gangsters and bookies popping up in scenes. My memory may well be defective here, but I believe that Fred and Lilli had departed the stage still with odds well against any reconciliation, but the next morning they are a couple again. I didn't see any gradual warming up of the two to each other, but maybe I missed it.

Enjoyable for the audience but doubt many rave reviews. In the 20 years since the last revival, there has arisen a greater sin in a musical than not "empowering" women. The greater sin is having no message at all to convey to the audience.

If I have made any blatantly erroneous statements about this first preview, please allow me to blame in on my short-term memory. It isn't what it used to be. Perhaps the people who, wisely, won't give details on a first preview could give the areas where they think the most work is needed.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 9:15am

"I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple" is taken directly from Shakespeare (almost verbatim). To change it to "People" is wrong and misses the point the Bard was making in the play's denouement. This is blasphamy!

As I've said before, we're going overboard with political correctness. New works should rightly reflect current trends. Don't tamper with the classics!

[Kad]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 10:12am

Dollypop said: ""I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple" is taken directly from Shakespeare (almost verbatim). To change it to "People" is wrong and misses the point the Bard was making in the play's denouement. This is blasphamy!

As I've said before, we're going overboard with political correctness. New works should rightly reflect current trends. Don't tamper with the classics!"

The Taming of the Shrew has been "tampered" with more than nearly any other Shakespeare work, except possibly Merchant of Venice, and has been a controversial work for centuries. Even Shaw famously found it problematic. It is not and has never been a work that has gone unchallenged, or even a work with a particularly clear statement on misogyny. 

[onesongglory2]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 11:10am

Has anyone tried rush for this? Are they doing it for this show, and if so, where are the seats?

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 1:20pm

I feel like the approach to some of these recent revivals of older musicals with problematic material has been really off base. I don't know that it "fixes" anything to make minor tweaks and changes to try and fool the audience and conceal the misogyny (or whatever it is) that's inherent in the material. It really doesn't help that nearly every major musical revival is directed by men (and often the same three or four men). I think there's much more to be learned from taking these shows as written and actually re-examining them from our current perspective, and working with what's on the page and having a point of view about it. And for goodness sake, women need to be at the helm more often. 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 3:31pm

perfectlymarvelous said: "I feel like the approach to some of these recent revivals of older musicals with problematic material has been really off base. I don't know that it "fixes" anything to make minor tweaks and changes to try and fool the audience and conceal the misogyny (or whatever it is) that's inherent in the material. It really doesn't help that nearly every major musical revival is directed by men (and often the same three or four men). I think there's much more to be learned from taking these shows as written and actually re-examining them from our current perspective, and working with what's on the page and having a point of view about it. And for goodness sake, women need to be at the helm more often."

Perfectly said. That’s exactly why I enjoyed Oklahoma and My Fair Lady so much.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 4:48pm

perfectlymarvelous said: "I think there's much more to be learned from taking these shows as written and actually re-examining them from our current perspective, and working with what's on the page and having a point of view about it. And for goodness sake, women need to be at the helm more often."

This.

 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 5:27pm

Building off what Whizzer said about the Tonys, I wonder how this category will play out. It's the ultimate duel of "traditional" vs. "re-envisioned" when it comes to classic musicals.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 5:28pm

perfectlymarvelous said: "I feel like the approach to some of these recent revivals of older musicals with problematic material has been really off base. I don't know that it "fixes" anything to make minor tweaks and changes to try and fool the audience and conceal the misogyny (or whatever it is) that's inherent in the material. It really doesn't help that nearly every major musical revival is directed by men (and often the same three or four men). I think there's much more to be learned from taking these shows as written and actually re-examining them from our current perspective, and working with what's on the page and having a point of view about it. And for goodness sake, women need to be at the helm more often."

Yes, 100%!

 

[Fanboy99]

Posted: 2/15/19 at 7:33pm

Planning to stage door after seeing this Sunday. How long after the show ends do the actors come out? Never stage doored before.