The Tony Award-winning Stephanie J. Block and Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar are uniting in the new West End revival of Kiss Me, Kate, which will begin performances on June 4 at the Barbican Theatre in London. Set to open on June 18, the limited engagement of the musical will continue through September 14.
West End audience will see Block in the roles of Lilli Vanessi and Katherine while watching Dunbar starring as Fred Graham and Petruchio. The acclaimed actors will be joined by a full orchestra with Cole Porter classics such as “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “Tom, Dick Or Harry,” “Too Darn Hot,” and a cast of 50 to be announced at a later date.
The show features the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. All the while it follows backstage chaos and romantic entanglements. Based on the original book by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the upcoming production will be helmed by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher.
Kiss Me, Kate’s fame and glory dates back to 1948 when it made Broadway premiere and became the first-ever winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949, the year this category was introduced. It had numerous revivals both in the US and Europe, garnering a Tony Award for Best Revival in 1999.
The musical last saw its Europe appearance at the London Coliseum in June 2018.
“There are so many ‘firsts’ to this opportunity, and at this stage of my career, ‘firsts’ are not the norm. How wonderfully scary and challenging and THRILLING,” Stephanie J. Block said. “I cannot wait to dive into this timeless classic and put a fresh stamp on it alongside the incredible Adrian Dunbar. Mark my words, this Kiss Me, Kate will most definitely not be just ‘another openin’, another show’.”
Adrian Dunbar said summer 2024 just got a lot brighter.
“I’m so delighted to be returning to the stage this Summer to my spiritual home at the Barbican – where I started my career at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – especially in this Cole Porter classic with the wonderful creative team including Bart Sher and Stephanie J. Block,” Dunbar said.
Block made her Broadway debut in 2003 in the role of Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz opposite Hugh Jackman’s Peter Allen. She won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her lead performance in The Cher Show. She has also Drama Desk nominations for some other performances on Broadway as well as Off-Broadway shows, including By the Way, Meet Vera Stark and Little Miss Sunshine.
Dunbar, mostly known for his appearance in all six series of BBC Television’s Line of Duty, launched his career back in 1991, starring in the film Hear My Song which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTA awards. Dunbar appeared in such notable films as My Left Foot, The Crying Game and The General. Apart from countless films and TV series he starred in, Dunbar is also a theatre director, and has staged productions for the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival.
The new West End revival of Kiss Me, Kate marks Adrian Dunbar’s musical theatre debut as an actor portraying Fred Graham/Petruchio in the show and Stephanie J. Block’s West End debut as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine.
The creative team of the show includes choreography by Anthony Van Laast, set design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Adam Fisher, and musical supervision by Stephen Ridley. Harold Panter is producing for Trafalgar Theatre Productions in association with Barbican Theatre.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday January 19 via KissMeKateMusical.com.