The Cast Photo by Alyssa Kristine

The "semi-staging" entails having that marvelous orchestra take up the full width of the stage, a couple of steps up from the downstage playing area, without benefit of scenery, which, on this occasion, was not missed a wit. Costumes, for both a post World War II backstage rehearsal setting and an Italian renaissance piazza, appear to be studiously tailored for those two environments, but in fact were gathered from Artistry's wardrobe collection by costume coordinator Britt Hilton.

With its joke-laced book by Sam and Bella Spewack, Kiss Me, Kate is kind of a twofer of a show. It is a musicalized version of Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew, while also a backstage romantic comedy involving that show's leading man, egotistical Fred Graham (who plays Petruchio in Shrew), and temperamental leading lady, Lilli Vanessi (who is Shrew's Katherine). The kicker is that Fred and Lilli had been married and went through an acrimonious divorce, now finding themselves in adjoining dressing rooms playing against each other in The Taming of the Shrew.

A secondary couple provide additional song, dance, and comedy delights: a hoofer with a gambling problem named Bill Calhoun, and an actress named Lois Lane devoted to her man, but on her own free-wheeling terms. In Shrew they play Petruchio's friend Lucentio and Katherine's fair sister Bianca, respectively. Throw in a couple of wise-guy gangsters trolling backstage to collect a gambling debt and the stuffed-shirt army general who is Lilli's fiancé and you pretty much have the ingredients for a fizzy soiree.

Cole Porter remains, perhaps, the all-time master of suave, urbane, sophisticated songs. His lyrics overflow with sparkle, wit, and innuendo, while his melodies vacillate between confident brassiness as in "You're the Top" or "Anything Goes" and waves of seductive intrigue as in "Begin the Beguine" and "Night and Day." Think of 1930s penthouses, nightclubs, and ocean liners peopled by those who avoided the depths of the great depression, and Porter's milieu lies before you.

While his numerous enduring songs are sophisticated, many of the stage shows in which most of them were introduced are less so. All of them were comedies, mostly with zany, throwaway plots, and not all were hits, even if some of their songs found fame. Porter himself considered only two of his shows to be perfect: Anything Goes(1934), tailor made for star Ethel Merman's legendary belt, and Kiss Me, Kate (1948), which has the distinction of being the very first show to receive the Tony Award for Best Musical and having the longest Broadway run of any of Porter's shows, clocking in with 1,077 performances–a remarkably long run at that time.

The Spewacks' literate book is one of the stronger among Porter's shows, though some of its humor is dated, and references to a man's right to subdue his woman do not conform to today's attitudes. Of course, that is wholly the nature of Shakespeare's source material, if that offers any excuse.

True to form, Kiss Me, Kate has a list of wonderful songs, several of them firmly embedded in the great American songbook: "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "Why Can't You Behave?," "So in Love," "Were Thine that Special Face," "Too Darn Hot," and a swell song written for Porter's subsequent show, a miss called Out of this World, that was inserted into the 1952 Kiss Me, Kate movie and has remained with the show since: "From this Moment On." There are also a helping of Porter's comedy numbers: "Tom, Dick or Harry," "I Hate Men," "Where Is the Life that Late I Led?," the sassy charmer "Always True to You in My Fashion," and a marvelous vaudeville turn for the two gangsters, "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," which serves no purpose in the show other than to make audience members grin from ear to ear.

John-Michael Zuerlein is splendid as peacocking Fred Graham. His physical bearing puts him in league with mid-20th century swashbuckling idols, and his powerful and pleasing voice delivers the gems "I've Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua," "Where Is the Life that Late I Led," and an especially soaring "Were Thine That Special Face." Erin Capello, having wowed audiences playing the leads in Next to Normal, Waitress, and Passion over the past two seasons, now conquers Lilli Vanessi with a soaringly romantic "So in Love," the comedic lambast "I Hate Men," and the reflective "I Am Ashamed that Woman Are So Simple" (the lyrics for that last one were advisedly changed from women to "people are so simple" for the show's 2019 revival on Broadway). Zuerlein and Capello both deliver the heated physical comedy (the words "taming" and "shrew" are used for a reason) in full throttle, and join together or a lovely "Wunderbar," revealing embers that still burn for one another.

Aliya Grace, as Lois Lane, gets to deliver not one, but two declarations of hot-blooded womanhood, "Tom, Dick or Harry," and "Always True to You in My Fashion," the latter a bona fide showstopper, along with an entreating "Why Can't You Behave?." Nate Turcotte is splendid as her hapless beau, Bill Calhoun, singing a jaunty ode to "Bianca" and proving to be an impressive dancer. He and Grace are well matched as the show's comedic second couple.

The two gangsters are played by Jon Michael Stiff (Man 1) and Marley Ritchie (Man 2), who have their shared schtick down pat, ensuring that they win over the audience, especially when they pull out the stops for "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."

Camryn Buelow, as Hattie, has a smashing solo turn in the show's emblematic opening, "Another Op'nin', Another Show." Chris Owusu has solo honors, sensational in both song and dance, in the second act opener, "Too Darn Hot"–another number that does nothing for the narrative, but that only a fool would omit. Ryan Franklin Lee is Baptista, father of Katherine and Bianca in Shrew and overbearing general Harrison Howell, scoring well in both parts. However, Lee is saddled with what, to me, is the only real disappointment in the show–a usurpation of the jubilant "From this Moment On" into a militarized trudge–appropriate for the character, but a sad waste of a great song.

Though the production lacks scenery, Jim Eischen's lighting design contributes to creating ambiance throughout the show, with the clever touch of having the two steps up from stage to the orchestra's platform illuminated with footlights when the musical is in its "show within a show" mode. Sound designer Bailey Fenn provides an excellent balance between orchestra and the vocals, bringing out the best of both.

Kiss Me, Kate is one of the crown jewels of golden age musicals. It is silly and frivolous, yes, but also funny, brassy, and chock full of great Cole Porter songs, beautifully sung and embellished with terrific dancing at Artistry. Early in the new year, they have set a high bar with this dazzling production.

Kiss Me, Kate runs through February 15, 2024, at Artistry, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington MN. For tickets and information, please call 952-563-8375 or visit artistrymn.org.

Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter; Book: Sam and Bella Spewack; Director: Kelli Foster Warder; Choreography: Joey Miller; Music Director and Conductor: Elijah Leer; Costume Coordinator: Britt Hilton; Lighting Design: Jim Eischen; Sound Design: Bailey Fenn; Props Design: Katie Phillips; Technical Director: Will Rafferty; Stage Manager: Gianna Haseman; Assistant Stage Manager: Austin Schoenfelder.

Cast: Camryn Buelow (Hattie/Ensemble), Erin Capello (Lilli Vanessi/Katherine/ensemble), Aliya Grace (Lois Lane/Bianca/ensemble), Annika Isbell (ensemble), Ryan Franklin Lee (Baptista/General Harrison Howell/ensemble), Chris Owusu (Paul/ensemble), Sarah Potvin (ensemble), Marley Ritchie (Man 2/ ensemble), Chris Sanchez (ensemble), Jon Michael Stiff (Man 1 /ensemble), Nate Turcotte (Bill Calhoun/ Lucentio/ensemble), John-Michael Zuerlein (Fred Graham/Petruchio).