KISS ME, KATE (2019 Roundabout Revival) - Previews — Page 6

broadwaysfguy said: "the theatre was freezing cold i mean freezing"

That's weird. I was there 2/23 and sweated the whole time (and I'm one of those people that's always cold). Maybe they got complaints and took it to the other extreme.

I don't believe it proper to say that Kelli O'Hara was miscast. After two very quiet years on the musical front, Roundabout needed a star to anchor their return to splashy and big budget musicals. Kelli and Will had performed a one night concert version of Kiss Me, Kate at the 2016 Roundabout Gala. Her Tony nominated performance in the Roundabout production of The Pajama Game with Harry Connick in 2006 was a nice career step for her after Light in the Piazza.

I think that she revealed a lot in that special interview for Newsday that I posted. The first week of previews had passed. Here she minimized changes to the original material, but made it clear that she did not intend to play the role as broadly and comedically as had been done in prior productions.

We don’t want to fix what’s not broken. Like my song “I Hate Men” — we’re not changing anything about that except I’m not flailing about, like a crazy woman, so you discount me. I’m just singing the words. Listen, I don’t hate men.

No flailing about like a crazy woman. A little ironic in that Kelli had complimented Marin Mazzie in the 1999 revival which she had seen before reaching stardom. In Ben Brantley's long review, he notes and compliments Marin for her performance of "I Hate Men."

Her outlandishly entertaining take on that great exercise in animosity, ''I Hate Men,'' which here includes a vivid simulation of giving birth, goes over the top, for sure. But it doesn't go out of control.

Although she admired Marin's "over-the-top" performance, she chose not to imitate it. For Marin, but not Kelly, we saw Kate "flailing away like a crazy woman."

In an earlier January interview, while the show was rehearsing, Ms. O'Hara appeared to take a feminist view and spoke of changing the show where necessary to identify and expose any misogynistic behavior by the men:

If Petruchio or even Fred is misogynistic, we’re going to see that as a fault, so it’s a lesson for all. We’re going to see her shrewishness as a result of the way she’s treated by men, not just that she’s a “difficult woman.” We’re acknowledging things that are wrong and we’re taking things out that are blatantly terrible and adding a feeling of If you’re gonna spank my bottom, I’m gonna kick your balls. I don’t want it to always be that these men are big and strong and we’re victims....

This production never goes so far as to indict Fred/Petruchio as a misogynist and to make sure that this is revealed to the audience and he is given his comeuppance. I see this as inevitable. Fred will behave in such a broad, empirical manner that he can't be given a label. Lilli says, above, "if you're gonna spank my bottom, I'm gonna kick you balls." Well in the 1999 revival Lilli does kick Fred's balls, and give him a shot to the gut, and slap his face twice before the spanking (sorry to bring that up again). And after the spanking Lilli gets in another two slaps to the face and exits with dignity as Fred is whining about finding a doctor to see if his eye is bleeding.

There is no need to expose Fred as a misogynist because Lilli hold the upper hand over him from the moment that she reads the note with the flowers.

Kelli, and I think Will, do not want to play their roles out as mutual buffoons and that has caused the show to drift without much direction. It's almost on a par with Laura Benanti, faced with a passive Eliza from whom to take the role from, fell back on what she knew and is playing the character based on her own personality. Kelli is falling back on the mostly dignified (and certainly not looney) roles that she has played in most of her shows.

I still have hopes that all these bright and crazy creatives will get it all together before opening night.

Ben Brantley review of 1999 revival

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/19/movies/theater-review-a-spirit-still-true-in-its-fashion.html

Updated On: 3/2/19 at 01:55 PM

Kelli is a subtle performer- she isn't one of those showy "killed it!" performers. She's proven that she can pull off comedy though in several things and that her acting is fantastic. Kelli is great in The King & I. Vocally it isn't that challenging for her but she is still wonderful and her acting is amazing. Not everyone likes her subtle style however which is fine. Sometimes subtlety isn't enough for people.

Saw it for a second time last night. Kelli is definitely hamming up the comedy a bit more now since I saw it on 3rd preview

I adore Kelli in the "right" role. What does that mean? Well, she was perfect as Fiona (that whole production should have moved to Broadway; perhaps Roundabout should be doing that instead...) and BRIDGES was one of the most rhapsodically romantic performances I've ever seen. But her Anna in THE KING AND I, Tony Award notwithstanding, left me cold, and luckily I went back when Marin came in and totally dazzled me with her strength and singing.

Never thought Kelli or Will Chase would be well cast in KMK, and was hoping I was wrong. But unlikely I will see this on my next NYC trip, although I'm sure Brantley/Green will fall all over themselves in praise.

Loopin’theloop said: "Soaring29 said: "Kelli is a subtle performer- she isn't one of those showy "killed it!" performers. She's proven that she can pull off comedy though in several things and that her acting is fantastic. Kelli is great in The King & I. Vocally it isn't that challenging for her but she is still wonderful and her acting is amazing. Not everyone likes her subtle style however which is fine. Sometimes subtlety isn't enough for people."

The problem is, it’s not a subtle show. It could be argued that you might be able to find a less broad approach to playing the backstage scenes, then might’ve been employed previously but the show within the show is broad. We are supposed to imagine that it has been directed by an old ham, that it includes numbers such as ?Tom, Dick or Harry’ and lyrics like ?Not stars like L. B. Mayors are we’ Frederick Graham’s production is not classy.This is also a show in which two gangsters, in pursuit of a debt end up dressing up in full costume and joining a broadway musical. You have to build the universe of a musical so that it’s most heightened and over the top moments, seem plausible within the world of the piece.

I didn't mean that subtlety was the right approach to the show- just that in general some people find Kelli's more subtle style unsatisfying. Like the user above does.



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getupngo said: "I posted about my rush. I went last week. Showed up at 10:15am and was the first person in line. Theres not a big hype for this one"

I have been looking for information about the rush - what day did you rush? Was it a weekday or the weekend? Were your seats good or partial view? Have you heard about amyone doing the Mobile Rush through TodayTix? When I did it for Head Over Heels I got really good seats.

From the first preview to the last. Many changes. Many improvements. Kelli is more confident in the role right from the beginning. She communicates with the audience with facial expressions, body language and glances.

Chemistry. I guess there aren't many signs of chemistry in the initial reuniting of Kelli and Will. No nervousness, no preening in front of the mirror to check appearance while insults are passing back and forth. The song "Wunderbar" for me changes all this. Shared memories of the good and bad times, the love that had once been there. Familiar patter. "No dear, we were both in the chorus." I think that it's a wonderful song and it displays the current feelings of the two. Others might be looking for more.

The "wooing" scene. Much changed and improved. Kelli is more aggressive. The "spread legs" gag is used as it was in the London version. You will know it when you see it. The first preview scene just appeared to drag on for too long without coming to a climax. Now the model of the West End scene is closely followed.

Where as Rachel attacked with three slaps, a kick to the gut and an arm to the private parts, Kelli slaps and keeps advancing towards Will to land kicks. About five. Will gives the same spanking warning as Brent did in the revival, and grabs her to administer it, Will he go through with it?

My focus is on Kelli. Will just seemed to fit the role perfectly and play it quite like Brent, which is not a bad thing. He could use at least one better song, with some warmth to it. I had Stephanie's Tony nomination already in print that first time. This time, while I still think it likely, just maybe she was too cute in places.

A good mood following Act 1. Act II I was surprised to find was a letdown. Not bad, but not as good as the first. At one point I was actually checking my watch. The running gangster joke was good but not great. The general did not add much to the show and, as said by many, "From This Moment On" is a good song poorly placed. The two non-comical songs, "Wunderbar" and "So in Love" are used early in the first Act. The second act could have used its own love song, or at least a major reprise of "So in Love."

I wouldn't be expecting raves for this one. Ben Brantley reviewing the 1999 revival said

''Kiss Me, Kate'' asserts that there is still a place for sophisticated, grown-up fun in the New York theater.

Brooks Atkinson, in his review of the original said:

All you can say for 'Kiss Me, Kate' is that it is terribly enjoyable,

That might not be enough for our current critics.

When the last revival went to the West End, the production was taped. In London, the show starred Brent Barrett and Rachel York. Sets and all of the rest were the same...

This London production is available on Blu-ray and it's very enjoyable. I would've loved to have this with Brian and Marin, but this London edition is a lot of fun.

https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Kate-Blu-ray-Rachel-York/dp/B06VSN5CY4/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=kiss+me+kate+blu-ray&qid=1552583921&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull