Somehow, Shakespeare, that bane of high school lit classes, has gotten very funny and maybe even a little sexy.

‘Kiss Me, Kate,’ the Cole Porter musical based on William Shakespeare’s comedy ‘The Taming of the Shrew,’ swiveled, shimmied and shook its way onto the Syracuse Stage on Friday.

‘Ideally, ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ is kind of dealing with Shakespeare through Cole Porter’s eyes,’ said David Wanstreet, director of the SU’s Drama Department musical. ‘It’s that kind of sophisticated, elegant approach to life that’s still raunchy and bawdy at times.’

The musical is set in a 1948 Baltimore theatre, where actor-producer Fred Graham (played by senior musical theatre major Michael Penna) is struggling to keep his cool during his production of ‘The Shrew,’ a musical based on Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ Arrogant, and at times bumbling, Fred casts himself in the lead as groom-to-be Petruchio.

Enter the shrew, in the person of Miss Lilli Vanessi, played by senior musical theatre major Jessie Mueller. The diva stars in such fine cinematic achievements as ‘King Kong,’ and, in a terrible twist of fate, plays Fred’s mincing ex-wife, who is the title character, Katharine, in ‘The Shrew.’

Add one former nightclub girl who knows her way around the bedroom, senior musical theatre major Kristi Williamson’s Lois Lane as Bianca, the hot-to-trot younger sister, and you’re going to wonder why on earth you skipped out on that advanced Shakespeare class.

The show absolutely sizzles from its opening strains of ‘Another Op’nin’, Another Show,’ giving the audience a chance to settle into the gritty, sultry backstage intrigue and scandal before slipping into ‘The Shrew.’

While the incredibly detailed and striking costumes and scenery befit the Shakespearean play, much of which was taken directly from the original text, the actors’ comedic touches kept the language from disrupting the flow from the backstage scenes.

‘The program here is very strong and based in classical training and Shakespearean text, so (the actors) handled it well,’ Wanstreet said.

The cast has dug deeper, bringing more nuance and meaning to the characters while still portraying them with exuberance and passion, he added.

Bianca’s three suitors enchant her with some very athletic choreography, also done by Wanstreet.

The occasional crotch-grab, hip thrust and shimmy counterbalanced the formality of the costumes and dances. While the sexual gestures may have been a bit much for the predominantly Syracuse resident audience, it worked perfectly for college humor.

The choreography and wonderful leads kept the pacing of the three-hour show, said Syracuse resident Barbara Bova, admittedly a huge ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ fan.

In addition to strong vocals and acting from the leads, the ensemble and supporting actors add an entirely new level to the comedy if you can catch their nuances.

Baptista, Bianca and Katharine’s father, is delightfully overplayed during ‘The Shrew,’ complimented by senior communications major Michel Kevin Girts’s perfect timing and priceless facial expressions.

Two wayward mobsters accidentally turned actors, played by junior musical theatre majors Robbie and Paul Rescigno add another element of raunchy humor to the second act, which opens with the oh-so-steamy ‘Too Darn Hot.’

The Fred-Lilli-Bill-Lois-miscellaneous ensemble members’ love octagon plays out, not without much squealing, screaming and slamming, during ‘The Shrew.’ This leaves Fred’s masterpiece – and sanity – nearly in shambles before somehow sorting itself out into three marriages.

The actors are continuing to put the final touches on the performance, which runs until May 14, to tell the story ‘clearly, and hopefully, eloquently,’ Wanstreet said.

‘They’ve done a good interpretation,’ said Dee Tanner, a Manlius resident and season ticket holder at Syracuse Stage. ‘It’s the vitality and the talent of the leading roles that bring it to life.’

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Syracuse University Drama Department’s production of ‘Kiss Me, Kate’

WHERE: Syracuse Stage

WHEN: Through May 14, times vary

COST: $18, discounts for students and seniors. Call 443-3275 for more information and reservations.

Published on April 24, 2005 at 12:00 pm