KISS ME, KATE (2019 Roundabout Revival) - Previews- Page 4

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 10:20am

OlBlueEyes said: "Skip,

Where to begin? Or Where to end?

When you hop onto a message board where a group of people are exchanging views of a major musical revival with a stellar cast and just describe in detail, with no introduction, why this show is, uh, much worse than average, many would consider it a great lack of civility to everyone else who has offered opinions. Not that this board is especially known for civility, but we keep hoping.

But that's not to say that you could not be right in running down everyone and everything in this production. We always need some "the emperor isn't wearing any clothes" guy to awaken us all up if we have fallen into sleep mode and risk a crash.

So, you have any theater credentials that would instantly cause us to feel shame for attempting to foist our little opinions on others? What did you think of the LCT revival of South Pacific? You know Brantley said of it that I know we're not supposed to expect perfection in this imperfect world, but I'm darned if I can find one serious flow in this production.

And Ms. O'Hara? You think that she is "slight" as an actress. What do you think of her voice. Let's say her vocal work in The Bridges of Madison County? "Almost Real" "To Build a Home" Anything there? Some people liked it.

Just for me, in my case, I wouldn't want to debate any details of your review unless I was sure that you had some connection with Western Civilization.

Others may do as they please."

 

Hiya Blue:

Yep - it’s all my opinion. And that’s all the credentials I need for a chat site featuring everyone’s opinions. You may agree or disagree with me. Great!  That’s what makes a chat site go round.  - Cheers!

 

 

Updated On: 2/20/19 at 10:20 AM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:15am

WHoa. Last I checked this was a message board, not a gathering of Musical Theater professional critics and music professors. Everyone's "credential" is that they are fans of musical theater. That's it. A teen getting so excited to see Wicked for the first time has the same "credentials" as anyone else if they bought a ticket and saw a performance. In this case, someone articulated the reasons they felt a performance was lacking which by the way is a very common reaction in early previews. 

 

Updated On: 2/20/19 at 11:15 AM

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:40am

For whoever asked about Rush on TodayTix - I tried today and signed on at 10am on the dot - it said all the tickets were already in member's carts and being purchased. Womp womp.

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:51am

poisonivy2 said: "WHoa. Last I checked this was a message board, not a gathering of Musical Theater professional critics and music professors. Everyone's "credential" is that they are fans of musical theater. That's it. A teen getting so excited to see Wicked for the first time has the same "credentials" as anyone else if they bought a ticket and saw a performance. In this case, someone articulated the reasons they felt a performance was lacking which by the way is a very common reaction in early previews.


Interesting that you said "a very common reaction in early previews".  I find that shows usually don't change that much from previews to regular run.  Some do, but very few.  But I remember Laura Linney saying that a show doesn't really "settle" until about 3 weeks in.

 

 

 

Updated On: 2/20/19 at 11:51 AM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:59am

Skip23 said: "poisonivy2 said: "WHoa. Last I checked this was a message board, not a gathering of Musical Theater professional critics and music professors. Everyone's "credential" is that they are fans of musical theater. That's it. A teen getting so excited to see Wicked for the first time has the same "credentials" as anyone else if they bought a ticket and saw a performance. In this case, someone articulated the reasons they felt a performance was lacking which by the way is a very common reaction in early previews.


Interesting that you said "a very common reaction in early previews". I find that shows usually don't change that much from previews to regular run. Some do, but very few. But I remember Laura Linney saying that a show doesn't really "settle" until about 3 weeks in.

"

My Fair Lady definitely changed a lot from early previews. I saw an early early preview where the dialogue was clearly too much for many of the actors to remember and they repeatedly went up on lines. Lauren Ambrose went up on lines during the entire Ascot scene. She screamed "Help!" and "Line!" several times before giving up. By the week of opening it was a different show.

Hello Dolly! is another show where in early previews there were numerous moments of characters going up on lines.

Angels in America made some cuts in early previews. Perestroika the week I was supposed to see it was supposed to run 4 hours. By the time I actually saw it (got sick with the flu) they had trimmed about 30 minutes worth of material.

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 12:06pm

poisonivy2 said: "Skip23 said: "poisonivy2 said: "WHoa. Last I checked this was a message board, not a gathering of Musical Theater professional critics and music professors. Everyone's "credential" is that they are fans of musical theater. That's it. A teen getting so excited to see Wicked for the first time has the same "credentials" as anyone else if they bought a ticket and saw a performance. In this case, someone articulated the reasons they felt a performance was lacking which by the way is a very common reaction in early previews.


Interesting that you said "a very common reaction in early previews". I find that shows usually don't change that much from previews to regular run. Some do, but very few. But I remember Laura Linney saying that a show doesn't really "settle" until about 3 weeks in.

"

My Fair Lady definitely changed a lot from early previews. I saw an early early preview where the dialogue was clearly too much for many of the actors to remember and they repeatedly went up on lines. Lauren Ambrose went up on lines during the entire Ascot scene. She screamed "Help!" and "Line!" several times before giving up. By the week of opening it was a different show.

Hello Dolly! is another show where in early previews there were numerous moments of characters going up on lines.

Angels in America made some cuts in early previews. Perestroika the week I was supposed to see it was supposed to run 4 hours. By the time I actually saw it (got sick with the flu) they had trimmed about 30 minutes worth of material."

 

I can understand line mistakes in the first previews.  I'm talking more like bad conceptual ideas, casting, direction, choreography - bad mistakes usually don't get changed.  Otherwise the entire show would have to be remolded.  Although, there was Hello Dolly!, Follies, Sunday In The Park, as you said, Angels and I'm sure a few others.  So it DOES happen. Just not often.

[getupngo]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 12:06pm

FANtomFollies said: "For whoever asked about Rush on TodayTix - I tried today and signed on at 10am on the dot - it said all the tickets were already in member's carts and being purchased. Womp womp."

Same for me. However- I live 2 blocks from the theatre, and walked up at 10:15am. The Box Office said I was the first one for the day to show up for rush. So theres literally no line if you go in person. I got the last row of the front mezz row DD dead center

[52889j]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 1:09pm

I'm gonna bump again for the TodayTix rush. Anyone done this successfully yet? I was hoping to hear the location on these before I just snatch a rear mezzanine HipTix.

 

I was able to get spectacular seats for True West through the TodayTix rush which was wonderful after sitting in the back right mezzanine for half a dozen shows at the American Airlines through HipTix. Hoping we have a similar scenario for this one!

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 1:28pm

getupngo said: "FANtomFollies said: "For whoever asked about Rush on TodayTix - I tried today and signed on at 10am on the dot - it said all the tickets were already in member's carts and being purchased. Womp womp."

Same for me. However- I live 2 blocks from the theatre, and walked up at 10:15am. The Box Office said I was the first one for the day to show up for rush. So theres literally no line if you go in person. I got the last row of the front mezz row DD dead center"

Ohhhh lucky you! Hope you enjoy and let us know your thoughts!

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 1:30pm

respect and curious about all reactions and views even moreso when they differ radically from mine.
im seeing the show friday

given skip that you also trashed two revivals many others i respect (and myself)thought were very well done(she loves me and on the 20th century)
what revivals have you thought were grear in the past few years?

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 2:26pm

broadwaysfguy said: "respect and curious about all reactions and views even moreso when they differ radically from mine.
im seeing the show friday

given skip that you also trashed two revivals many others i respect (and myself)thought were very well done(she loves me and on the 20th century)
what revivals have you thought were grear in the past few years?"

 

Don't go by me.  I've missed some major revivals.

BUT:  Revivals I liked in past 10 years:   Jitney, Miss Saigon, Cats (yes, Cats), A View From The Bridge (with Strong, not Weller), Gigi, It's Only A Play, Waiting For Godot, An Enemy Of The People, Porgy and Bess, Virginia Woolf, The Normal Heart, Hair

 

Updated On: 2/20/19 at 02:26 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 4:04pm

Bless me Father, I have sinned. I didn't think that Skip was giving a serious review. He was just trying to rattle our chains. I mean, he went through the whole cast of this Kiss Me, Kate and didn't like anybody except Corbin Bleu and he hadn't been very good either. He went down the list of all the director's revivals, and didn't like any. She Loves Me, On the 20th Century? And except for Pajama Game and Brigadoon, Ms. O'Hara had not been anything special in her other shows. So I asked him if she at least could sing a little, and what did he think of her work in "Bridges."

What didn't occur to me was that Skip cared so much about Kiss Me, Kate that he was really upset about what he had seen and had come here to vent. Like when I was such a Yankee fan that if they lost a tough game I would hurl my 9 volt transistor radio into the floor. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but close.

I apologize, Skip. I think that it's great that you care so much about these shows that you can just lose it when you see one that really disappoints you.

I'm going into the review penalty box for a while. Since I'm already in trouble, and we have been talking about the spanking, I say just as a matter of fact and not in approval or disapproval necessarily, that I was very surprised to read six reviews of the Proms 2014 concert Kiss Me, Kate and not a single one of them even mentioned the spanking. But I think that all or almost of the reviewers were middle-aged white men.

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 7:09pm

OlBlueEyes said: "Bless me Father, I have sinned. I didn't think that Skip was giving a serious review. He was just trying to rattle our chains. I mean, he went through the whole cast of this Kiss Me, Kate and didn't like anybody except Corbin Bleu and he hadn't been very good either. Hewent down the list of all the director's revivals, and didn't like any. She Loves Me, On the 20th Century? And except for Pajama Game and Brigadoon, Ms. O'Hara had not been anything special in her other shows. So I asked him if she at least could sing a little, and what did he think of her work in "Bridges."

What didn't occur to me was that Skip cared so much about Kiss Me, Kate that he was really upset about what he had seen and had come here to vent. Like when I was such a Yankee fan that if they lost a tough game I would hurl my 9 volt transistor radio into the floor. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but close.

I apologize, Skip. I think that it's great that you care so much about these shows that you can just lose it when you see one that really disappoints you.

I'm going into the review penalty box for a while. Since I'm already in trouble, and we have been talking about the spanking, I say just as a matter of fact and not in approval or disapproval necessarily, that I was very surprised to read six reviews of the Proms 2014 concert Kiss Me, Kateand not a single one of them even mentioned the spanking. But I think that all or almost of the reviewers were middle-aged white men."

 

Blue:  It's really not a big deal.  I love these sites because I can rant and not care.  Gets some of my pent-up frustrations out. 

And yes, I stand by my opinions.  Kate is a classic in the repertory and this production cheapens it's rep.  Hate that in a revival. 

And yes, my comments about Kelli also stand.  She has a wonderful voice but she's often cast wrong.  HATED her in Bridges.  Not her - she was just not an Italian housewife plopped into Missouri or wherever it took place.  I don't hate HER, I hate that she's cast in so many inappropriate things.  Hell, why don't they just throw her into GYPSY and MAME and DOLLY and BALLROOM while they're at it.  (But funny, I think she could STILL do Maria Von Trapp!)

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 10:38pm

You could well be right about this Kiss Me, Kate. It seemed a little odd to me when the ensemble dance number leading off the second act got far more applause than anything else. This was the first preview.

Kelli can't keep getting strong reviews just by showing up. Well, maybe she can if Ben Brantley writes the review.

I almost saw the Brian Stokes Mitchell - Marin Mazzie revival, but it fell through so I don't have that to compare it with. But when I got my hands on the album about six years ago, I loved the way they did "Wunderbar" and "So In Love," two of my faves of all shows. Rare for me, I tweeted Marin that I thought that she had sung them about as well as they could be sung. She "liked" it or highlighted it or whatever you do on Twitter.

I was surprised that Kelli picked this show. After King and I she said in a couple of interviews that she would only play roles that "started a conversation" about something important. I haven't been able to figure out yet what serious question is being asked here.

I return the night before opening night. 

 

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:04pm

OlBlueEyes said: "You could well be right about this Kiss Me, Kate. It seemed a little odd to me when the ensemble dance number leading off the second act got far more applause than anything else. This was the first preview.

Kelli can't keep getting strong reviews just by showing up. Well, maybe she can if Ben Brantley writes the review.

I almost saw the Brian Stokes Mitchell - Marin Mazzie revival, but it fell through so I don't have that to compare it with. But when I got my hands on the album about six years ago, I loved the way they did "Wunderbar" and "So In Love," two of my faves of all shows. Rare for me, I tweeted Marin that I thought that she had sung them about as well as they could be sung. She "liked" it or highlighted it or whatever you do on Twitter.

I was surprised that Kelli picked this show. After King and Ishe said in a couple of interviews that she would only play roles that "started a conversation" about something important. I haven't been able to figure out yet what serious question is being asked here.

I return the night before opening night.

"My fave combo was the replacements in the revival: Brent Barrett and Carolee Carmello.  Perfection!

And, even though I'm not a fan of Kathleen Marshall, her direction was FAR better than the overbear...uh....overpraised Mr. Ellis.  And it had Michael Berresse and the great Nancy Anderson!

 

 

 

 

[egnarotsew]

Posted: 2/20/19 at 11:33pm

macnyc said: "There was a funny glitch that reminded me that there's nothing like live theater! Kelli at one point had trouble opening the door to the tavern. I could see her only from the back, but I think her dress or sleeve may have gotten stuck in the door. She struggled with it for a few seconds, and we thought it was part of the show, until she said something like, I need a little help here, and one of the actors came from behind the door."

She got her fingers stuck in the door.  After after the intermission her hand wastaped up.  They added a few lines to make light of it, such as when she was on the phone complaining about the cheap set and then to give her a hand for her performance.

 

[LuPita2]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 1:14am

What an absolutely wonderful revival!  I was there tonight and loved every second of it.  No one was on their cell phones nor did any go off, the audience was fully IN it, which is always a positive sign. Kelli and Will have never sounded nor looked better.  The rest of the cast is so strong and brought the house down during "Too Darn Hot".  In the beginning, Will slammed a door and an old radio (I think) popped off the wall and landed near Kelli.  They both laughed it off. The very next scene an actor comes out with an object (could not tell what it was) and something went flying off of that too. Previews!

Great, big, lovely production.  Enjoy everyone!

[bk]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 1:37am

Skip23 said: "OlBlueEyes said: "You could well be right about this Kiss Me, Kate. It seemed a little odd to me when the ensemble dance number leading off the second act got far more applause than anything else. This was the first preview.

Kelli can't keep getting strong reviews just by showing up. Well, maybe she can if Ben Brantley writes the review.

I almost saw the Brian Stokes Mitchell - Marin Mazzie revival, but it fell through so I don't have that to compare it with. But when I got my hands on the album about six years ago, I loved the way they did "Wunderbar" and "So In Love," two of my faves of all shows. Rare for me, I tweeted Marin that I thought that she had sung them about as well as they could be sung. She "liked" it or highlighted it or whatever you do on Twitter.

I was surprised that Kelli picked this show. After King and Ishe said in a couple of interviews that she would only play roles that "started a conversation" about something important. I haven't been able to figure out yet what serious question is being asked here.

I return the night before opening night.

"My fave combo was the replacements in the revival: Brent Barrett and Carolee Carmello. Perfection!

And, even though I'm not a fan of Kathleen Marshall, her direction was FAR better than the overbear...uh....overpraised Mr. Ellis. And it had Michael Berresse and the great Nancy Anderson!







"

Um, Kathleen Marshall co-choreographed Kiss Me Kate with Rob Ashford, she did not direct it - the great Michael Blakemore directed it, which is why it was a terrific production.  Both Stokes and Marin were wonderful and Blakemore knows how to pace a show and stage a show.  

[Flowerlovestage5]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 2:51pm

I caught this production yesterday.  What a wonderful evening of theater.  Porter's score is glorious within the book that is still charming and fresh, even for being written in the late 40's.  Though dated, it did not feel like a museum piece.  It's wonderfully entertaining.

Spoilers:

The design was as expected as there aren't many scenes outside of the dressing rooms and on stage. Both had nice details throughout. I loved the multi-tiered set serving as the backstage space, utilizing the stairways on either side for various dance numbers and scenes.  The costumes were the standard period designs and so very rich in color.  I loved the velvet's used in the Shrew numbers.  The colors of the painted flats for Padua were simple but effective.  That combined with the costumes created a lovely picturesque image.

As mentioned by previous members, Too Darn Hot, In My Fashion, and Tom, Dick or Harry were standouts that got the audience cheering.  The choreography by Carlyle was exciting and spunky as proved by Will Burton, Rick Faugno, and Bleu - - they were a great trio around Styles.

What can I say about Corbin Bleu that hasn't already been praised?  It's a pleasure to have him on the stage and he is quite the hoofer.  His tap numbers are thrilling (the ensemble too) and like Holiday Inn -- he is a throwback to the golden age.  Love him!  Styles owns the stage for her Always True to You number as her voice is just as exciting as her flirtatious character. She made the song her own with creative intonation and pacing.  The concept with the wooden plank / ladder made it all the more entertaining to observe.

Will Chase - I think this role fits him like a glove.  While still in early in previews -- he is already giving us a nuanced and layered performance.  Grounded in his resonating emotions and wonderfully humorous when called for -- it's a great performance.  Like his Shakespeare in Rotten -- he commands the stage. His voice is glorious. His chemistry/ timing with O' Hara is on-point and delightful - greatly due to Chase himself.

O'Hara.  The woman has a voice of an Angel.  She colored the score and brought various moments to thrilling heights.  I am eagerly awaiting a cast recording --this entire cast needs to be preserved.

Now, I have thought about this all morning -- and this is not to upset any O'Hara fans ...but I thought her book scenes were the weakest link of the show.  Yes, she kept her pacing which allowed others to play off of her.  Yes, she made her own choices as Lilli Vanessi (as there is no reason to imitate any previous actress). Yet there was literally ZERO transition from her offstage Vanessi (which was subdued to say-the-least) to her Shrew. I didn't think she hated men or her ex-husband at various points.  I just thought she just didn't care much.  What was limp about her acting had then completely died from that moment on...

She wasn't angry nor smug.  She wasn't contemptuous or vociferous. Even as the situation escalated (being forced on stage by the Gangsters, etc).  She had no sense of urgency.  She hit her marks and played up the bruised/aching factor (with an actual limp) but that was it.  I feel Ellis has done great work on this production but I'm going to place the blame on him, for example, the I Hate Men number.

No, she doesn't need to sit on the bench or bang the mug on the table as staged previously (or kick everything in anger).  From my perspective, they presented the song as a true monologue...having her move around addressing the audience (as usually presented) - adding in two moments with the male ensemble which were comedic.  If O'Hara had played as if she wasn't in a tech rehearsal -- I would have actually enjoyed the staging.  

Again, she sang it beautifully and her singing salvaged her performance (to an extent).  This is just my opinion -- I look forward to other works of her in the future.  There is a reason she is so successful.  This was not it.

More Spoilers:

As for the "changes" that were implemented for our current audience of 2019;  I won't go into  great detail but the entire show was not re-worked dramatically.  Just several smaller moments.

That's it for now.  Please excuse any grammatical errors, etc.

 

 

 

Updated On: 2/21/19 at 02:51 PM

[getupngo]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 3:07pm

FANtomFollies said: "getupngo said: "FANtomFollies said: "For whoever asked about Rush on TodayTix - I tried today and signed on at 10am on the dot - it said all the tickets were already in member's carts and being purchased. Womp womp."

Same for me. However- I live 2 blocks from the theatre, and walked up at 10:15am. The Box Office said I was the first one for the day to show up for rush. So theres literally no line if you go in person. I got the last row of the front mezz row DD dead center"

Ohhhh lucky you! Hope you enjoy and let us know your thoughts!"

Thank you! It was great. I really enjoyed it. O'Hara sounded AMAZING. But I agree with what flowers said that "Even as the situation escalated (being forced on stage by the Gangsters, etc).  She had no sense of urgency." and there was no distinction between Vanessi/Shrew.

Will was a dreamboat. The gangsters were HILARIOUS, but their one song, I could barely understand what they were saying some of the time.

The second act felt a little bit dragged out for the first half, but then FLEW by after Lois' solo number. The Act 2 opener got the biggest applause of the night (and rightfully so).

Also agree with what another said- it was nice to see the audience so engrossed in the show. Not a single phone/disruption.

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 7:00pm

And yes, my comments about Kelli also stand.  She has a wonderful voice but she's often cast wrong.  HATED her in Bridges.  Not her - she was just not an Italian housewife plopped into Missouri or wherever it took place. 

Bridges, Skip, was the one show of Kelli's beginning with South Pacific that I didn't see. I had advance warning. When the book was a big deal, a copy of it was hanging around the house with my mother and I started reading it. Didn't get very far. It was one of those romances that women liked to read. I stayed away.

But I had to be impressed when drawn to Youtube videos of her and Stephen recording the album. It was quite extraordinary. The comments below from those who had no idea who she was....

I'm afraid that you haven't seen the last of it. Kelli will tell you immediately that it was her favorite role and she was in on the project at its inception. I'm sure there will be a 10th anniversary concert version. Roundabout owes her a favor for finally getting them back on the splashy musical revival trail.

Notice that Kelli is about the third or fourth person people are mentioning in reviews of Kate. She is a very intelligent woman and I would be surprised if she didn't make some significant changes. She can do comedy.

It's a small matter, but I think that they should put the spank back in. It makes her the center of attention when everyone is watching to see her reaction. It also gives her the "can't sit down" gag all to herself. I saw the Proms version and it was only one quick spank in exchange for about a half dozen shots that Kate took at Petruchio. It's kind of a signature moment in the production.

[Skip23]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 12:41am

OlBlueEyes said: "And yes, my comments about Kelli also stand. She has a wonderful voice but she's often cast wrong. HATED her in Bridges. Not her - she was just not an Italian housewife plopped into Missouri or wherever it took place.

Bridges, Skip, was the one show of Kelli's beginning withSouth Pacific that I didn't see. I had advance warning. When the book was a big deal, a copy of it was hanging around the house with my mother and I started reading it. Didn't get very far. It was one of those romances that women liked to read. I stayed away.

But I had to be impressed when drawn to Youtube videos of her and Stephen recording the album. It was quite extraordinary. The comments below from those who had no idea who she was....

I'm afraid that you haven't seen the last of it. Kelli will tell you immediately that it was her favorite role and she was in on the project at its inception. I'm sure there will be a 10th anniversary concert version. Roundabout owes hera favor for finally getting them back on the splashy musical revival trail.

Notice that Kelli is about the third or fourth person people are mentioning in reviews of Kate. She is a very intelligent woman and I would be surprised if she didn't make some significant changes. She can do comedy.

It's a small matter, but I think that they should put the spank back in. It makes her the center of attention when everyone is watching to see her reaction. It also gives her the "can't sit down" gag all to herself. I saw the Proms version and it was only one quick spank in exchange for about a half dozen shots that Kate took at Petruchio. It's kind of a signature moment in the production."

'

Blue:  Bridges:  eeeeeeeeeek!  that's all.

 

I adored her in Pajama Game and Brigadoon.

 

Yeah, Kelly just isn't BIG enough in this role.  Both vocally (line-wise) and in stature.  She fades.  Carmello was perfect!  And Mazzie a close second.  Those are big gals.

 

Yeah, it would be nice to see a Non-PC spank for the Diva.  That's what Shrew is all about, after all.

 

Save yo money!

 

 

[AngusN]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 3:10am

I think Blakemore’s production of this show, was pretty close to perfect and Rachel York and Brent Barrett, on the video recording, were sublime.
Personally, I agree with another poster, that O’Hara and Chase are too small in stature for these roles.

[A Director]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 3:49am

Skip23 said: "Yeah, it would be nice to see a Non-PC spank for the Diva.  That's what Shrew is all about, after all."

If you believe spanking is what Shrew is all about, you don't know the play!  The only hitting in The Taming of the Shrew happens in Act 2 Scene 1.  KATE hits Petruchio and he replies, "I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again."  She does not!

 

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 5:49pm

Petruchio tames the Shrew.  Or is it the other way around?.

The entire 2003 West End production, starring Rachel York and Brent Barrett, filmed before a live audience, to excellent reviews, up on YouTube in 23 nearly seamless parts.

Here is the timid and fragile Kate being assaulted by her brutal former husband.

If you stick it out, after the spanking, Kate get in two more full slaps to the face. The confrontation end when Petruchio says "Good God, I'm bleeding."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTSkWZXai9w

Updated On: 2/25/19 at 05:49 PM