Kiss Me Kate, Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Hippodrome - review and pictures

Bringing its Shakespeare season at Birmingham Hippodrome to a close Welsh National Opera presents the Cole Porter Broadway classic Kiss Me, Kate, and musical fans might remember that one of the show's most famous songs, Brush up your Shakespeare, featured earlier this year in the RSC's Gala Concert celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Bard's death.

As someone who has experienced a wide variety of touring musicals of varying standards over more than forty years it was an absolute pleasure to see a production of the highest possible quality. From the opening bars of Another Op'nin', Another Show, delivered superbly by Landi Orshinowo's irrepressible Hattie and a very talented chorus, this was as good a demonstration of the musical genre you could wish to see.

The organised chaos preceding the launch of most productions was joyously captured in Jo Davies' energetic and superbly detailed production. But equally rewarding was the Welsh National Orchestra's playing of Cole Porter's sublimely melodic score, under conductor James Holmes, and clearly relished by the players as some of them get to play virtuoso solo passages.

It is, of course, a play within a play, as a touring production of The Taming of the Shrew confuses the on-stage events with the rather more volcanic off-stage relationships of the leading actors, and even the gambling habits of one cast member.

Claire Wild, deputising at short notice for the indisposed Jeni Bem, made the most of her opportunity to portray the Lilli Vanessi/Kate roles, alternating between shrewish Italian maiden and would-be society hostess most convincingly, and performing So in Love and I Hate Men very effectively.

Quirijn de Lang is a delight as Fred/Petruchio, showing perfect musical timing and delivering Where is the Life that Late I Led and Were Thine That Special Face in a powerful and richly-coloured baritone voice.

Amelia Adams-Pearce, as Lois/Bianca, and Alan Burkitt, as Bill/Lucentio, play the former night-club entertainers trying to enter serious theatre with commendable charm and the two gangsters sent to collect Bill's gambling debt are entertainingly depicted by Joseph Shovelton and John Savournin.

But every member of the chorus, as well as the dancers brought in for the show, contributes to the spectacular production numbers like Too Darn Hot and I Sing of Love.

The theory is that putting on popular musicals enables companies like Welsh National to generate sufficient funds to let them produce the more adventurous works in the operatic repertoire. On the evidence of Kiss Me, Kate it is clearly a very successful strategy.

Kiss me, Kate is repeated on Friday and Saturday.

By Jerald Smith