Customer Reviews

Kiss Me Kate (Broadway Revival - PBS Great Performances) [VHS]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

`Kiss Me Kate', Winner of 5 Tony Awards, 6 Drama Desk Awards and 4 Outer Critics Awards including Best Musical Revival, is a wonderful production with breathtaking performances from a stellar cast including Brent Barrett and Rachel York. What I want to clear up is the criticism of the DVD. I have to disagree with everything negative said - the sound is fine and a pleasant balance of orchestra and vocal with a crisp clarity.

Secondly, the DVD is widescreen and captures a lot of the onstage `business'. Indeed the cameras do follow the main action, but never misses anything. It has been filmed by people who both appreciate the performance, the art and the intention of Michael Blakemore. Since he directed it and then adapted `Kiss Me Kate' for television, surely he of all people knows what needs to be filmed?

Always, the performance has an `on stage' feel and I urge you to ignore the exaggerated views of others here. Sound is good, video is good, DVD menu is good and I guarantee that you'll be as enthusiastic about the DVD as I was today after watching it. Maybe the others need to appreciate that this is a stage `adaptation' as stated on the DVD case.

Based on the Amazon customer reviews that my husband and I read of the two versions of this musical that are available on DVD, we bought both of them. We started with the other (classical Hollywood) version, and watched until I commented that it really bothered me that so many of the bawdy lines had been censored out. What's the use of Cole Porter without the naughty bits? So we switched it off and watched this production instead. We loved it from start to finish. One of the highlights was the duet, "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," in which the marvelous actors playing the comical Chicago-style mafia thugs take us on a tour from vaudeville to burlesque to Music Hall, evolving the song stylistically with each repetition of the chorus. Altogether a wonderful night out at the theater that I would highly recommend to anyone who treasures the rare wit of Cole Porter. (And the little wink between sisters Bianca and Kate makes the over-the-top final soliliquey of submission palatable.

Someone else might say they prefer the Hollywood version, with its superior technology, orchestration and dancing. But I was put off by the liberties taken with the original script--cutting out so much of the Shakespeare, all the racy little jokes and bad words (the word "bastard" hit the cutting-room floor in that era, and "louse" just doesn't have the same impact). I also didn't appreciate the song "It's Too Darn Hot" sung by her as a bizzare sort of strip tease tap dance. If that's to your liking, you may well prefer the old classic film. It left us both wondering why Hollywood can't seem to find the balance between the pendulum swings of Puritanical censorship and today's tasteless oversexing. Bridget Bardot once said that in Europe, sex is a fact of life, but in America it's an obsession--and it comes out in the unhealthy-feeling treatment of sex that Hollywood films have tended to offer us. So--enjoy this charming theater piece instead!

A worry I always have with filmed stage shows (as well as modern movie musicals in general) is that very few directors these days seem to be able to direct the filming of a choreographed dance routine. Worried about a static camera, they jump around and, worse still, give us close-ups of the dancers' faces. Looking back to the MGM and Warner musicals of the Golden Age, one can see that letting the dancers and choreographer do thier stuff and filming it with the minimum amount of technical flourish is the way it should be done. I am pleased to say that this filmed stage production of 'Kiss Me, Kate' mostly gets it right and shows off the staging both of the dances and the frantic dramatic action to it's best advantage.
Brent Barrett and Rachel York are absolutley fantastic in the leading roles, as are all of the principals (in particular Michael Berresse as Bill Calhoun, who fleshes out his character beyond the typically under written 'romantic lead'). Barrett plays one of Broadway's most complicated and demanding male roles with confidence and great emotion when required. York sings like an angel, screams like a banshee and pulls faces that could stop a clock as well as get the audience rolling in the aisles. Speaking of audiences, one way in which this production suffers is the seeming lack of an audience. Although there are laughs at the jokes there is no applause after the numbers. This seems a ridiculous omission, particularly considering the theatrical nature of the piece.
The re-written role of Harrison Howell, changing him from a boring cattle-baron to an agressive military man, jars as does the bizarre inclusion of a song for the character - 'From This Moment On'. The scene in the show involving Howell being mocked and eventually put to sleep, surely must rank as one of Broadway's most perfectly crafted and witty set-pieces. The re-written version on this DVD pales in comparison.
Cole Porter's best score is well served both vocally and visually (although I believe 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' is wasted) and the set and costumes are beautiful. I feel that the lighting is lacking in places, creating some gloomy scenes particulary in the 'Shrew' sequences which surely should be vibrant to the point of tackiness. The direction and performance during the 'Shrew' parts of the show are a real highlight - showing that Shakespeare can be fun - particularly when accompanied by a Cole Porter score!
Unless you're mad about gimmicky 3-D camera angles or a sanitized version of the show that avoids the B-word, avoid the Howard Keel, Katherine Grayson film and invest in this infinitely superior version of one of Broadway's gems.

This PBS - Great Performances version of "Kiss Me Kate" is a magnificent version of a classic musical. It makes the MGM film seem a grade school skit. The leads, Brent Barrett and Rachael York are so good there are not proper words to describe their performances. They become the characters - not an easy job when they are giving performances to fill a large theater and at the same time have close ups from cameras. Barrett is the perfect "Fred" conceited and self absorbed, but not so much that you don't like him - he is rather endearing. York is the beautiful film star with all the insecurities - a dead on characterization.Their singing is wonderful, much better than the Broadway leads on the CD of the New York version. Both are Broadway vetrans who were chosen to do the London production. Check out Miss York on the "Victor/Victoria" DVD version of the live show with Julie Andrews repeating her film role on stage. York is a talent to be reckoned with (she recently played Lucille Ball in the TV film of her life). Barrett has made many recordings of Broadway shows including "Grand Hotel" (in which he also played the lead on Broadway) and "Brigadoon".

Everything about this production is wonderful PLUS it is the full show, not cut as is the film. A viewer gets the full "Brush Up Your Shakespear" one of the funniest songs ever written. For this reason alone, this is the best version to own. Also on the DVD is the great "From This Moment On" that is not even on the cast recording.

No fan of musicals should be without this unbeatable "Kiss Me Kate"!!!!!!!

The recent PBS version of "Kiss Me, Kate" is an absolutely glorious production of this classic Broadway musical comedy based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." Standout performances and a brilliant directorial vision combine to make this THE very best production ever. The DVD of this Great Performance will rule for ages.

Rachel York as Lilli/Kate and Brent Barrett as Fred/Petruchio each bring an underlying tenderness to their off-stage characters that makes you ache to see them get back together in the end. Sure, they rant and rave and fight like wildcats, just as their on-stage counterparts do. But never do you forget that they love each other. Too many productions of this very funny show-within-a-show make the leads one dimensional and totally unlikeable, acting as if they hate each other. This production, directed by Michael Blakemore and performed throughout with tremendous energy and skill, is first and foremost a love story. Everything else - the tongue-in-cheek wit, superb singing, vibrant dancing, innovative orchestration, and even bawdy physical humor - is consistent with the passion that emanates from the two leads.

And the two leads are superb. Rachel York has a vocal range that is unequalled in musical theater today. She sings her torchy version of "So In Love" with a heartbreaking sincerity, then belts her "I Hate Men" with raucous wild abandon. She ultimately reaches the stratosphere with her amazing coloratura soprano in her screamingly funny rendition of "Kiss Me, Kate." Matching her every step of the way is Brent Barrett. He infuses his "Were Thine That Special Face" and reprise of "So in Love" with absolute adoration, but also demonstrates unbridled machismo in "I've Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua" and "Where Is the Life That Late I Led." The chemistry between York and Barrett is palpable, even on DVD. They accentuate their volatile relationship with unexpected touches of genuine endearment, such as an unconscious tender brush of an arm during "Wunderbar" or a glistening tear in the eye during the finale.

The entire cast keeps up with the pace and tone set by York and Barrett. The show never lets down, and everyone seems to be having great good fun with the unrepressed music and lyrics of Cole Porter. This PBS version of "Kiss Me, Kate" will undoubtedly prove to be a classic, with the performances by Rachel York and Brent Barrett considered definitive. It will surely be the standard against which all future Kates are measured. It is an unabashed winner.

I actually saw the National Tour with Rachel York in it, and I was excited to see this video. I loved the acting of York and Barrett and I thought Nancy Anderson was very cute as Lois/Bianca. York's voice is gorgeous. Except for those three however, the DVD leaves much to be desired. The performances of the gangsters are merely okay, and occasionally annoying. The filming definitely could have been better and I hated some of the cuts, like 1/4 of "We Open in Venice", as well as some plot points such as when Fred discovers that Bill actually signed the IOU, and the DVD didn't have any extras, which disappointed me. I'd recommend it, if only so that one can see the Broadway Revival version, which is beautiful from it's costumes, lights, and direction. As for Bill Calhoun, while I very much admire his voice and dancing talent, the acting was not up to the par of his costars.

I remember seeing Alfred Drake ant Patrice Munsel in this show as a young child. I also have the Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson Movie version from 1953 and though I love that version, this one feels better to me. It is a well produced video of a live production of the latest revival of this delightful production. Brent Barrett plays Graham/Petruchio with just the right amount of acerbic wit, Rachel York is a delightful Lilli Vanessi/Kate and the chemistry betwen the two of them is fantastic. Teh rest of the cast is supurb.

Kiss Me Kate was probably Cole Porter's best work. He himself rated Sam and Bella Spewack's book the best ever. And Shakespeare kicked in the rest of the words. It doesn't get any better than that. The cast is terrific, the production superb, choreography awesome, and no pit orchestra ever sounded better. The film work is the best I've seen of a stage production since the PBS tape of "Carmen" at London's Covent Garden a few years ago.
If watching this doesn't put you in a good mood you need serious help.

I was very disappointed when I finally received this long-anticipated DVD. The performance itself was very good, but the way it was filmed was a HUGE disappointment. There seemed to be only one camera angle-- focusing on a small part of the stage for the entire length of the performance. There were NO shots of the entire state, and in scenes where action took place in more than one part of the stage at the same time, the "Pan and Scan" method ws used-- cutting off most of the stage and then switching to the other side. I saw the original Broadway show with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazie, and know that there was a LOT going on on stage, and that this film sidn't show it all.
Another big problem with this DVD is that there are no extras. I was hoping for cast and crew information, plus some "Making of" features, but there were none. In addition, there were NO closed captions! I watched the PBS presentation of the film, and there were closed captions on TV. Why were they not included?

I hope that there will be another edition of this film, because this one just isn't worth it.
My rating: the performance itself: 4.5 stars; the DVD, 2 stars.

Brent Barrett and Rachel York are excellent in this London version of the revival of this musical by the great Cole Porter. I enjoyed it during the presentation on NET/13 and was happily suprised when they said it was being offered on dvd, and even more happily so when it arrived from WNET earlier than expected. Only one thing could have made the experience more enjoyable....having Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie on dvd. ;-)))) Enjoy