More casting has been revealed for the upcoming West End revival of Kiss Me, Kate, set to play London's Barbican Theatre beginning June 4. Opening night is June 18, and the strictly limited engagement will continue through September 14. Bartlett Sher is at the helm.
As previously announced, the production will be led by Tony winner Stephanie J. Block as Lilli Vanessi and Katherine and Adrian Dunbar as Fred Graham and Petruchio. Newly joining them will be Charlie Stemp (Crazy for You, Hello, Dolly!) as Bill Calhoun and Lucentio and Georgina Onuorah (Oklahoma!) as Lois Lane and Bianca.
“Kiss Me, Kate has always been a favorite show of mine, so to get the chance to return to the West End so soon in this title and specifically opposite Adrian Dunbar, Stephanie J. Block, and Georgina Onuorah is a dream come true," says Stemp in a statement.
"I am thrilled to be involved in this reimagined Kiss Me, Kate—with a Lois/Bianca that looks like me!," adds Onuorah. "Bart Sher is a remarkable director, and I am so excited to get working on this beloved musical with this wonderful team.”
With music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Sam and Bella Spewack, Kiss Me, Kate is a meta adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, following the contentious but ultimately romantic connection between actors Fred and Lilli offstage as they're appearing in a touring production of the Shakespeare classic onstage. Porter's score introduced such favorites as "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "Why Can't You Behave?," "So in Love," "I Hate Men," "Too Darn Hot," "Always True to You in My Fashion," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," and others.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1948, becoming a smash hit and spawning a 1953 film adaptation and several television productions in the U.S. and U.K. The show has since become a favorite to revive on the Main Stem, with heavily revised versions hitting the stage in 1999 and 2019. London's West End has been a welcome home for the work, too, with 1970, 2001, and 2012 revivals following the 1951 premiere.
Sher is directing the revival after making a name for himself helming splashy revivals of classic musicals on Broadway, including South Pacific (for which he won a Tony Award), The King and I, My Fair Lady, Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, and others. The London revival will be Sher's first major staging of the Porter classic.
Joining Sher on the creative team will be choreographer Anthony Van Laast, costume designer Catherine Zuber, scenic designer Michael Yeargan, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Adam Fisher, and music supervisor Stephen Ridley.
Harold Panter is producing for Trafalgar Theatre Productions in association with Barbican Theatre.
Visit KissMeKateMusical.com.
