Kiss Me Kate - Barbican / Cinema Release

Four of us went to this on Saturday night. There are positives and negatives, but ultimately the basics of the show (book/music) are why this fails to truly soar, no matter how much editing/polishing.

The Positives

Wonderful to see SJB on our stages and being so brilliant. She grabs every opportunity to show off her vocal range, and brings the energy and wit, that is lacking elsewhere but more on that later.

It’s a show where the supporting players (sometimes lost in KMK) actually steal the show.

Georgina, Hammed, and Nigel all driver knock out performances, and help the second half to fly by. The audience fall in love with all three of them.

The orchestra sound great, and from where we were in Upper Circle slips (great view and proximity as most played centre stage) we heard every line and note.

The Negatives

The Design: they’re using a revolve split into three sections, like Sher’s My Fair Lady. Unfortunately where that had range in design, this appears to have little difference for the three rooms/views.

Brick Wall.

Brick Wall.

And…Brick Wall.

Unlike the MFL revolve this doesn’t retract, so it then leaves only a small playing space in front of it (and that terrifying hole into the orchestra pit). As a result, despite the vastness of the Barbican stage, it all looks a bit lost. They could have used the WHOLE stage, but the revolve kills this. As a result, supposedly BIG numbers like Another Opening and Too Darn Hot feel stifled. You want and need that soace; that exhilaration. But they’ve designed themselves (literally) into a corner.

Maybe they want to tour it?

Oddly for Catherine Zuber the costumes aren’t all that either. Some nice dressing gowns, but the play within a play designs are not good.

And the wigs…. Poor Charlie Stemp looks like he’s in drag. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing in a drag show, but…

Lighting wise it’s fine, but when they want the audience to go nuts, they blind us with multiple spotlights that finally land on SJB/Georgina/Adrian delete as appropriate. We get it. We’ll clap louder for them on these numbers, but don’t blind us in the process.

Speaking of Charlie, his character is supporting, but just feels not there. And if they’re going to show horn him into Too Darn Hot with hunky Butterworth at least make a back story for them. Eg a rivalry over Lois/Bianca. Not then just jumping in unison 8 times and smiling at each other.

Also, where was the heat in that number? Is what mentioned in act one? We couldn’t remember. But it didn’t seem hot enough or sexy enough. It should have the audience going nuts. On Saturday one woman in the stalls stood up brandishing her wine glass, looked around, as realised she should probably sit down as everyone else was.

But then that’s the show too: which is another downside. We get what’s going on, but there isn’t enough depth in the book or the songs to make us truly care. Direction wise this hasn’t been kind either, so the show happens, without truly investing and engaging its audience. That’s not to say it feels long. It doesn’t. But it just…happens.

Peter Davison rocks up so late and with the thinnest of the plots that it almost seems pointless to have made it starry casting. Someone needs to put him in a Gene Hackman bio pic immediately though.

And finally, Mr Dunbar. He’s giving a wonderful performance, for television. But not for the theatre. Or that stage. You can hear he’s thought about the wit and delivery, but it’s delivered in such a quiet, half energised way that we completely switch off. SJB is giving her all, but, as the show goes on even she herself loses energy because she has none coming back to her.

He CAN sing. But it’s a cautious singing.

Those two characters should be at raging loggerheads, then in love, then loggerheads again. But there’s no opportunity for that because he’s simply too under energised. The stakes are…zero.

Watch those early scenes with them together and it’s painful. His song in the second half is completed, rather than performed.

But we all knew this would be the case.

He’s a good actor, but has completely misjudged the show’s tone and requirements for a big space.

The ensemble are great and give there all, but ultimately the bad, cramping design, and Dunbar’s lack of energy kill it being a true hit.

Go for the supporting players, but this ain’t no Anything Goes.