'Kate' puts Shakespeare to music

By Marcy Redmond

Santa Clara's very own Center for Performing Arts and Theatre and Dance Department present "Kiss Me, Kate," the play-within-a-play musical based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," opening this weekend in Louis B. Mayer Theatre.

The Sam and Bella Spewack script, enhanced by music and lyrics by Cole Porter, follows the cast of a Truman-era Baltimore production of "The Taming of the Shrew," both on and off the stage. Each of the play's four main cast members' lives are in turmoil because of what is happening offstage, and they must attempt to collect themselves in order to perform that night before a live audience.

Fred Graham (Joe Brady), the egotistical leading actor, is courting fellow actress Lois Lane (Rachel Zampelli), while trying to keep his stubborn ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Jenny Jacobs) happy enough to play the shrew in the production. Meanwhile, two gangsters (Joe O'Malley and Jeff Moran) have come to collect on a $10,000 IOU that Lois' other love interest, Bill Calhoun (Justus Vierra), has signed in Fred's name.

The plot thickens further as the flowers Fred sends to Lois are mistakenly delivered to Lilli, and she sings of her undying love of Fred in her dressing room. Even as the actors' love lives intertwine, the show must go on, and the romance between Fred and Lilli's on-stage characters is a reflection of their tumultuous and hilarious relationship offstage. Even the gangsters get in on the acting gig, and display their Bard smarts to the Shrew's audience in a uproarious song and dance number, "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."

With more than 30 musical numbers, including the grand opening number "Another Op'nin Another Show," the pun-filled "Tom, Dick or Harry," the tempestuous "I Hate Men," and the sultry "Too Darn Hot," "Kiss Me, Kate" gives the Santa Clara actors a chance to showcase their vocal talent in a play that provides plenty of fuel for passionate musicality.

Dance lovers will enjoy "Kiss Me, Kate" for its multitude of acrobatically-choreographed numbers. In addition to several intricate dance solos by Vierra's character, many of the songs involve dancing by a majority of the play's 35 cast members, weaving color, movement and energy in an amalgamation that truly dazzles.

The sets, consisting of red brick walls and winding staircases to represent the back lot of the theater, a pair of simple yet elegant 1940s-style dressing rooms for Fred and Lilli and an extravagant Renaissance village as the locale for the Shakespeare performance, make first-rate backdrops for the many complications of this play-within-a-play.

The challenges that those involved in such an extensive production face are many. "Kiss Me, Kate" director, Fred Tollini, S.J., who has directed in upwards of 40 plays at Santa Clara, takes special pride in working on this year's production.

"A musical, even more than a regular play, is a joint effort and we are really a team," Tollini said.

Since "Kiss Me, Kate" is the biggest show Santa Clara has put together in the last several years, it has been a great challenge for the large cast, four designers, choreographer, vocal director and director to come together to construct such an elaborate evening of entertainment. Tollini is proud of the work that the students have done, as a musical like "Kiss Me, Kate" is "the most integrating opportunity we have for educating and preparing students for work in the theater."

Actress Rachel Zampelli, who plays the sensuous Lois Lane, found her involvement in "Kiss Me, Kate" to be "quite a wild ride."

Besides finding dance lessons and performing dance numbers on stage to be an intense challenge, Zampelli delved deep into her character's mind-set to prepare for her turn as the sexually-driven Lane.

"I think people can relate to her," Zampelli said. "Everyone can relate to that human aspect â€" that sexuality â€" and it's great because she's so forthcoming with it, especially when it was still extremely taboo for a woman to be so open with her sexuality."

Chorus member Jocelyn Webster has also cherished the experience of working on "Kiss Me, Kate." Spending time getting to know the cast has been a gift for her. After attending practices five to six days a week, and spending countless hours making sure everything is just right, "you create a very special bond with the other people in chorus," Webster said.

"Being in a musical is an extremely unique experience," she said.

Stage manager Cameron Fabrick feels that "Kiss Me, Kate" challenges everyone involved. After being involved with the theater department for four years, she still finds great pleasure in helping to create a successful show.

"There are a lot more elements to worry about, in comparison to a non-musical," Fabrick articulated. "Everyone involved in this show has worked really hard, whether it be the actors, dancers, carpenters, directors or whomever. It's a real collaborative effort. They have all done an amazing job, and it shows."

Despite its sheer entertainment value, "Kiss Me, Kate's" lightheartedness offers a breath of fresh air from today's troubles. It is "a welcome relief from the daily painful news of wars and politics - and maybe even writing papers and preparing for finals," Tollini said. "It parallels life in the theater with real concerns about human relationships. It's a flash of spring color after a rather dreary winter."

The people who have put long hours of hard work and dedication to bring "Kiss Me, Kate" to the stage hope many people experience the magic of the play-within-a-play during its run between Friday and Saturday, June 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

Sunday through Thursday, tickets cost $12 for general admission, $10 for seniors (60 and over) and Santa Clara faculty and staff, and $5 for students. Friday and Saturday, tickets cost $14 for general admission, $12 for seniors and Santa Clara faculty and staff and $5 for students.

û Contact Marcy Redmond at (408) 554-4546 or mredmond@scu.edu.