Press Releases

Winfield, Kan., July 8, 2002 - "Kiss Me Kate," the Cole Porter musical loosely adapted from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," is the final show of the 2002 Southwestern College Horsefeathers and Applesauce Summer Dinner Theatre season. It will be presented Thursday through Sunday, July 18-21, and Thursday through Sunday, July 25-28, in Messenger Recital Hall. Show time is 8 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m.

The show's director, Joel Froomkin, and its choreographer, Danny Smith, are New Yorkers teaming for the first time in Kansas. "I was really happy this fit into my schedule, because I love the show," Froomkin says. "It's a fun challenge because you're basically doing two shows in one-the challenge of trying to accomplish that in the kind of time frame we have and special conditions of Horsefeathers turnover time force me to come up with imaginative solutions and see it in a fresh way."

Persons familiar with the play from the 1950s may not remember it correctly, Froomkin adds. He expects them to find it much funnier: "Some think of it as a sappy show, but Danny and I tend to be more attracted to things heavy on entertainment value rather than things heavy on saccharine value." He promises the show will be entertaining and active, not just "pretty to look at."

The choreographer agrees, calling the show more sophisticated than many may think.

"It isn't Laurel and Hardy," Smith says. "As a Cole Porter show, it's a true musical comedy."

"My biggest challenge coming into it was not really knowing what kind of dancers I had," Smith adds. "I had to think of things as stage movement, rather than in terms of specific dancers. And I don't like choreography that is just steps. I'm an actor, and I wanted that aspect of my experience to be important.'

"My theory is that if it's fun to do, it's fun to watch," Smith says. He' s added all kinds of dancing to the play-folk dancing, swing dancing, etc.

"When you're doing a show like this, that was written to be set in a contemporary way, and it opened in 1948, you have a perspective not only on the period they were doing in the play, which was Shakespeare, but you also see the late '40s as well," Froomkin explains. "We can also see how their culture influenced they way they interpreted Shakespeare. The hair, the make-up, all of that is influenced by the '40s aesthetic."

Both Froomkin and Smith describe the show as "naughty, but Bugs Bunny naughty." They call it flirtatious, a show appropriate for family member of all kinds.

"Brush Up Your Shakespeare," they say, is a sure crowd-pleaser. Although both are from New York and knew of the other person's work, this is the first time Froomkin and Smith have worked together. Froomkin just finished directing Kathy Lee Gifford and Diana Canova in a new comedy thriller performed in Cape Cod. Smith will play Sonny in a national tour of "Grease" beginning next month.

"We knew of each other's talent, and we were glad to have the opportunity to collaborate," Froomkin says.

The "Kiss Me, Kate" cast includes Ansley Valentine (Fred Gaham/Petruchio), Roger Moon (Harry Trevor/Baptista), Melodye Brant (Lois Lane/Bianca), Hollie Becker (Stage Manager), Jill Siefkes (Lilli Vanessi/Katharine), Amanda Gawith (Hattie), Chad Wyckoff (Stage Doorman), Samm Hawkins (Paul), Adam Lake (Bill Calhoun/Lucentio), Ryan Kathman (First Man), Joe Seiver (Second Man), Chris Thatcher (Harrison Howell), Aaron Sawyer (Gremio), Stephen Bishop (Hortensio), and Craig Fisher (Haberdasher).

Other technical crew include Jonna Roegge, musical director; Mark Kobak, scenic design; Sasha Hildebrand, costume designer; Cindy Harden, costume supervisor; Jule Ann Troutman, accompanist; Robbie Jones, technical director; Geoffrey Moon, lights and sound; Kristy TenClay, master electrician; Elisabeth VanDerWerf, make-up designer; Aimee Dombo, props; and Jennifer Favre, stage manager.