Rebecca Trehearn and David Ricardo-Pearce will play the warring couple at the heart of the Watermill Theatre’s version of Cole Porter’s classic Kiss Me, Kate this summer.
Olivier Award-winner Trehearn (Show Boat, New London Theatre, Sweet Charity, Nottingham Playhouse) will take on the role Lilli Vanessi (Katherine) opposite Ricardo-Pearce who returns to the Newbury venue after appearing in the Watermill’s Sweeney Todd to play Fred Graham (Petruchio) in the production which will be directed by artistic director Paul Hart.
Running from 25 July until 21 September, the new production of Porter’s Golden Age musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew will be choreographed by Strictly’s Oti Mabuse.
Commenting on her involvement in the production, the eight-time South African Latin American champion who recently made her debut as theatre choreographer with Ain’t Misbehavin’, said: “I am so excited to be choreographing the classic musical Kiss Me, Kate and working at The Watermill – it is such a great venue and a privilege to work with this team. It is also another first for me to work with a cast of actors/musos – Another Op’nin Another Show!”
Watermill’s actor/musician re-imagining of Kiss Me, Kate will be designed by Frankie Bradshaw with musical supervision and orchestration by Tom Attwood, lighting design by Rory Beaton and sound design by Tom Marshall. James Bennett will be the production’s associate choreographer.
First staged on Broadway in 1948, the multi-award-winning musical features music and lyrics by Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The show features a number of the composer’s best-loved songs including ‘Too Darn Hot’, ‘Another Op’nin’ Another Show’, ‘Always True to You in My Fashion’ and ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’.
Kiss Me, Kate will follow other recent Watermill Theatre success stories including inventive actor/musician versions of Amélie, Sweet Charity, the classic George and Ira Gershwin musical Crazy For You and Twelfth Night.
Angela Thomas
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