Customer Reviews

Kiss Me, Kate (1948 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

KISS ME KATE is still regarded as Cole Porter's greatest musical; a charming backstage story detailing feuding ex-spouses Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham as they star in a musical version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew".

Very rarely has the score been bettered than the original 1949 cast album, reissued here on the Columbia Broadway Masterworks label. Patricia Morison plays Lilli, with Alfred Drake (OKLAHOMA!, KISMET, GIGI) as Fred, the feuding, ego-ridden leads. Lisa Kirk (ALLEGRO, MACK AND MABEL) is the sexy young starlet Lois, with Harold Lang (PAL JOEY) as her caddish boyfriend Bill.

KISS ME KATE opened at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in 1949, making history in its run of over 1000 performances. Patricia Morison is perfectly-suited to the role of Lilli. She offers a glowing rendition of "So in Love", whilst her duet with Alfred Drake in the tongue-in-cheek "Wunderbar" is sublime. Lisa Kirk gets three of the big showstoppers ("Why Can't You Behave?", "Tom Dick or Harry" and "Always True to You in My Fashion"), and nails each and every one. Harold Lang was a better dancer than he ever was as a singer, but is quite good on this disc.

A must-own.

Recorded in January 1949, this album of KISS ME KATE has remained in print adn a steady best-seller for over 50 years now.

The sound on this newly remastered CD is crisp and clear and easily surpasses all previous issues. Sony even uses the original artwork from the very first LP release.

The performances remain as fresh as ever. Alfred Drake was Broadway's top leading man and sounds just glorious. Pat Morrison had less of a career but sounds just perfect as Lilli. Lisa Kirk is wonderful as Lois, and Harold Lang makes the most of his few moments on the record as her boyfriend, Bill. In an unusual move these peopel reunited 10 years later to re-record the score for Capitol in true stereo. They still sound great on that recording (on CD as part of the Broadway Angel series) but the performances are fresher on this recording made just 2 weeks after KIS ME KATE had opened on Broadway to rave reviews.

The CD booklet has good info about the show, though curiously, no synopsis. There are, however, a half dozen pictures of the original production. This edition featureds longer takes of "We Open in Venice", "I Hate Men" and "Too Darn Hot" though the total extra music adds but a minute to the album's running time. A bonus track of the Overture dates from a 1958 stereo recording by Lehman Engle.

KISS ME KATE was the first Tony Award winner for Best Musical (1949). The 1999 revival won a Tony for Best Revival.

Its hard to believe that this musical is over 50 years old. It might take place in the '40s, but as you listen it sounds as fresh and timeless as ever, even if some of the lyrics are a tad bit politically incorrect. Of the three versions (*IMHO* I think the movie lacked the energy of the stage play), The Liner Notes (19 pg. booklet) really bring the CD to life with a lot of interesting information about how the play came to be, including the amazing fact that Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi's charactor's are actually based on real people ! Its also amazing to find out that at the time Cole Porter was writing it the general buzz was that he was washed out - - finished - - that his best days were behind him, yet the show opened to unanimously rave reviews !

Another thing I like about this version of the CD is that unlike the Revival broadway cast recording (which I like a lot !), it also has two additional versions of the overture, one which was actually recorded 10 years later and fits in well with the CD. Kiss Me Kate afterall is a musical with enough substantive material to make a medley the legnth of the CD itself.

I have one question though : Atleast in the current version Lilli Vanessi sings "From This Moment On" but it appears on neither of the CDs - - I wonder why ?

I am so impressed by the truly outstanding job that Columbia has been doing on these original cast CDs. This latest purchase, Kiss Me Kate, is still another gem. For being a mono 1949 recording, you would not believe it. I honestly think it sounds as good as stereo. The cast and singing are idiomatic. Kiss Me Kate has been blessed with several excellent recordings, be they Broadway, movie, or new studio recordings. If you love this musical, your library would not be complete without this disc. It bears repeating, I have bought several of these newly remastered Columbia discs and have nothing but praise for their superb quality. Many of the discs also have great fillers. Some other ones include: West Side Story, On the Town, and The Sound of Music. MCA has also been doing a great job with their original Broadway discs. As for Rhino (Turner Soundtracks), it's usually hit or miss....mostly miss, I'm sad to say. Kiss Me Kate gets 5 solid stars!

This was the first original cast album to be released on LP and is a fine record of the way the original stage production sounded. Columbia is usually superior in sound quality, but this one got away from them. Original sound recordings sound tinny and meagre. Drake and Kirk are fine but Morrison's voice is annoyingly harsh. The original overture is included as an addenda. What fit on the original release as an overture was really the Entr'Acte.

I've always loved the movie version of KISS ME, KATE, and especially as time goes on, that classic film will almost of necessity be what comes to mind when people think of Cole Porter's snappy, intelligent musical. Of course, there are still Broadway buffs alive who recall the original play and will insist that the original stage version was the superior, and pretty much definitive take on the material. And that may be so, but the film is pretty much all we have by way of an historical record: the film, its soundtrack, AND the various cast recordings, I should say. Still, visual records being what they are, the film is what people are going to remember.

Still, it's great to have that record embellished by the two extant cast recordings. The original cast was superlative, and while I don't know if their stage presence would have translated to the big screen, it's surprising, in a sense, that no one from that cast made the transition to the film. Maybe Patricia Morrison, Alfred Drake and Lisa Kirk weren't household names back in the late '40s, and I guess Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and Ann Miller pretty much were: nowadays, they're ALL names primarily known to fans of old musicals, and more's the pity.

I understand that some champion the original because it includes some numbers that were omitted from the film. It's nice to hear "Bianca," for instance, although now that I have, I can understand why the filmmakers would have few qualms about cutting this rather bland number. I also haven't compared the texts here to those of the films, but I'm willing to believe those who maintain that the material was "cleaned up" a bit for the movies. (I'm guessing you might find some slight tweaking of the text in Lois's numbers, "Why Can't You Behave" and, especially, "Always True To You In My Fashion"). I do seem to recall that Bill was in hock for considerably less than the "9 G's" mentioned on the cast album. And it's interesting to hear "Too Darn Hot" done here by a male chorus instead of Ann Miller.

The 1999 revival also led to a cast album, which I'm also curious to here. Whatever one is ultimately deemed "definitive" by most people, however, the performances here are hard to beat. I'd have to concur with those who write that this is the kind of cast recording that makes you wish you'd seen the actual production. The movie will have to do for most of us--and, luckily, it's a great movie.

Cole Porter's finest musical made a great recording, one that every musical theatre fan should own. Kiss Me, Kate featured Alfred Drake (in what I consider his best role), Patricia Morison (with a heartwarming, operetta-like twinge in her voice), Lisa Kirk, and Harold Lang in a wonderfully comic twist on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Full of classic songs (such as "So In Love" and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare") that mix 1940s musical know-how with lyrics that evoke, comment upon, and often even include Shakespeare. Add in the great performances and Kiss Me, Kate is quite simply a must.

This is classic broadway music. These are the songs you sing in the shower and hear on Name that Tune. The cast is as stellar as the songs. What makes this show unique are the brilliant lyrics that utilize Shakespearian diologue for songs like "Were Thine that Special Face," while also using more traditional "Oklahoma-esque" techniques in songs like "Always True to You Darling in My Fashion." This CD is a real treat from beginning to end.

Now is the perfect time to buy the CD of this.

Sony's transfer engineers used state-of-the-art restoration software to remove the roughness and surface noise from the originals, but (thankfully) they resisted the urge to tart-up the sound with artificial reverb, faux stereo, and thundering bass. This is by far the best-sounding CD of this ever released, and it may be the last.

The age of music ownership in America could be drawing to a close. Five years from now, this music may only be available by download, you might only be "borrowing" it, and it probably won't come with the the authentic cover art or the 26-page booklet.

(See also the original broadway CD of Out of This World.)

I wish I was about 20 when Kiss Me Kate opened so I could have witnessed this body shaking, gut bursting work of Cole Porter. This is the first time I've heard it. I can still feel the voices and music pumping through my blood stream with pleasure. You have to get it to get it so get it. You'll be more than greatful you did. Pardon me, I'm going to listen to it again!