My Reveiw of Reprise's "Kiss Me Kate"

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 11:42am

On Sunday I saw the Reprise Theatre Company's production of Kiss Me Kate.
While I thought it was pretty good, I didn't think it was their strongest show. Lesli Margherita was Lilli/Kate, I thought she was stronger as Kate, I felt like she hadn't really developed the role of Lilli as much as she could've. It seemed like she couldn't decide how she wanted to play the role. Tom Hewitt as Fred was excellent, he gave one of the strongest performances in the show. Meg Gillentine was great as Lois/Bianca, her dancing was superb. Sean Martin Hingston was pretty good as Bill, but his speaking voice kind of annoyed me. So to summarize, the cast was pretty good for the most part. But my biggest issue was with the set. They had a giant spinning proscenium, that was the back for backstage, and the front for the theatre. My first issue with it was that the front looked totally inapropriate for the time period, it looked like it belonged more in a vaudeville theatre in the 20/30s then the late 40's. It also looked cheaply made. Another problem I had with it was that because the stage is not the largest when the cast members would spin it, it took over the entire stage which I found very distracting. And lastly, when they were performing "Shrew" they played most of it downstage of the false proscenium, and I understand suspending disbelief in theatre, but not enough to believe that any stage could have an apron that big, but besides my minor issues I pretty much enjoyed myself.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 12:50pm

I couldn't take my eyes off the nasty wigs.

They seem to be able to style some of the girls own hair perfectly fine, but every wig looked like a wig.

Meg Gillentine's was a hot mess.

When the little old ladies sitting around me were talking about how bad the wigs are, I knew it wasn't just me.

Updated On: 5/20/11 at 12:50 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 2:10pm

Are you annoyed that Sean Martin Hingston is Australian and that it was showing in his speech pattern?

[Jackson Heights]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 2:29pm

I have hated all their under rehearsed productions. I have stopoed going. When reprise first started it was suppose to be concert readings of old shows with big names..therefore accomodating the small rehearsal time. What .they are doing instead just does not work.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 4:37pm

jackson: Don't know if you missed their "Once On This Island" a year or two ago. Thought they really came together on that one-- swell performances, costumes, choreography, sense of how to put over a show in a semi-concert setting. I know they haven't matched that high-water mark too often since.

[Jackson Heights]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 5:32pm

I did. I love that show so much I was afraid to see how they would mess it up.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 7:32pm

Theatre Diva: those wigs were beyond horrible, and why didn't you like Meg Gillentine?
Dollypop: I didn't even know he was Australian, his horrible NY accent was the part that annoyed me, but I thought his singing voice was beautiful.
Jackson: I have noticed that their shows have been getting worse and worse, I thought their Sunday in the Park a few years ago was excellent.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 7:32pm

Theatre Diva: those wigs were beyond horrible, and why didn't you like Meg Gillentine?
Dollypop: I didn't even know he was Australian, his horrible NY accent was the part that annoyed me, but I thought his singing voice was beautiful.
Jackson: I have noticed that their shows have been getting worse and worse, I thought their Sunday in the Park a few years ago was excellent.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 8:18pm

"why didn't you like Meg Gillentine?"

She was great!

It was that nasty wig that I couldn't stop staring at.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 8:21pm

At least her wig wasn't as bad as Lesli Margharita's

[emo_geek]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 8:40pm

I have not heard good reviews for a Reprise show since Damn Yankees (which I personally loved)

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 9:20pm

Reprise usually has one excellent production, one pretty good, and one god awful

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 10:47pm

"I have not heard good reviews for a Reprise show since Damn Yankees (which I personally loved)"

Obviously you've not seen this one by the LA Times.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/05/theater-review-kiss-me-kate-at-uclas-freud-playhouse.html


"Reprise usually has one excellent production, one pretty good, and one god awful"

And may I ask you how this season's three shows fit into your description?


I've seen the first two in this year's series.

"They're Playing Our Song" which I have hated for years was actually pretty good thanks to story and song changes and was carried by Stephanie J Block.

"Gigi" was very cheap looking and some of the sets were laughable but I wouldn't call it God awful just not very good.

Even with the review of "Kiss Me Kate" in the LA Times and sent to me via Reprise e-mail I will NOT see this show as I hate both "The Taming of the Shrew" and the show-within-the show "Kiss Me Kate". I detest the male chauvinistic theme and for me slapping women around is NOT funny. Thus I'll be passing on seeing it.

The biggest problem I have with Reprise is that their ticket prices are way too high. I can get a single seat cheaper at the Ahamanson for a first class show!

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 5/20/11 at 11:04pm

"I will NOT see this show as I hate both "The Taming of the Shrew" and the show-within-the show "Kiss Me Kate". I detest the male chauvinistic theme and for me slapping women around is NOT funny."

At least in the recent Broadway revival, the whole misogyny theme was very "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" and clearly an equal battle of the sexes- the women slapped the men just as much as the men slapped the women.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:51am

I guess I was exaggerating with "god awful" but they usually do one pretty bad show this year I thought the best was "Playing Our Song" Kiss Me Kate was in the middle with Gigi in last place, almost everything about that show I just thought was bad

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 2:41am

Maybe you weren't exaggerating about "Gigi". The more I think about that show it really was awful. The sliding sets were so BaaaD! I was in the front row the night I saw it and the moving platforms were the cheapest looking things I've ever seen constructed for a theatrical presentation. Then there were the people pushing them on stage with rope pulleys and you could see them setting up the chairs and tables before they pushed them in . The only thing that kept it from being God Awful was the acting by Lisa O'Hare who was Gigi.

At least you saw "Kiss Me Kate". I was tempted especially after reading the LA Times review but my hatred for the misogyny theme kept me away and I love Leslie Margherita!

[mallardo]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 5:29am

I am a big Lesli Margarita fan - loved her in Zorro in London where she stole the show, loved her in See What I Wanna See in LA - but I felt she was vocally miscast as Lilli Vanessi. She's a belter with a thin top and this is a role for a legit soprano like Marin Mazzie. She just couldn't handle So In Love or Wunderbar. Ditto Tom Hewitt who had to use a fake voice for the big notes.

As for Meg Gillentine, great dancer, non singer. Her vibrato is really just a wobble. And one of the two comedy gangsters was not only not funny but barely professional.

I was disappointed.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 9:20am

Wicked Fanatic I agree with everything you just said.
mallardo: I think you're right Marhgarita was wrong for the role, while I thought her acting was great, and her I Hate Men was good, she could not vocally handle So In Love.
I don't think Meg Gillentine is that bad, but she was a lot better as lola in Damn Yankees. Which gangster didn't you like?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 10:26am

Sean Martin Hingston

[bk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 11:04am

Margaret Gray, the "reviewer" is a fifth string "critic" -

[mallardo]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 11:47am

"Which gangster didn't you like? "

The big one. The little one was terrific.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:07pm

Dolly,

What's the obsession with Sean Martin Hingston?


"And one of the two comedy gangsters was not only not funny but barely professional."

Someone was cast based solely on looks, alone, obviously.

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 2:31am

mallardo: I completely agree, the best that the big one could do was stand there and look funny in his purple tunic and blonde wig