Kiss Me, Kate – Original Broadway Cast Recording 1949
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Synopsis
On the eve of the first anniversary of their divorce, Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi are rehearsing for the leading roles in Taming of the Shrew. Bill Calhoun, a member of the cast, has incurred a gambling debt and tells actress Lois Lane he has signed Fred’s name to an IOU. As the play begins, Fred, as Petruchio, seeks a wife and finds a fascinating possibility in the shrewish Katherine, as played by real life ex-wife Lilli. In the meantime two thugs arrive and demand payment from Fred for Bill’s IOU. At first, Fred claims he has signed no such document, but when Lilli threatens to leave the show for Fred’s too realistic portrayals of the shrew tamer, he changes his mind. He talks the gunmen into donning costumes and escorting Lilli bodily through all the scenes for the remainder of the play’s engagement. In the end, Fred tames the shrew, both on and off the stage, their real life romance is revived and the gunmen get a good lesson in Shakespeare. – © TAMS-WITMARK
Credits
Fred Graham/Petruchio: Alfred Drake Harry Trevor/Baptista: Thomas Holer Lois Lane/Bianca: Lisa Kirk Ralph: Don Mayo Lilli Vanessi/Katharine: Patricia Morison Hattie: Annabelle Hill Paul: Lorenzo Fuller Bill Calhoun/Lucentio: Harold Lang First Man: Harry Clark Second Man: Jack Diamond Stage Doorman: Bill Lilling Harrison Howell: Denis Green Specialty Dancers: Fred Davis, Eddie Sledge “Taming of the Shrew” Players: Gremio (First Suitor): Edwin Clay Hortensio (Second Suitor): Charles Wood Haberdasher: John Castello Tailor: Marc Breaux