Kiss Me, Kate

July 1 - August 5, 2023

Kiss Me, Kate

The battle of the sexes takes center stage

Sophisticated, romantic and delightfully hilarious, Kiss Me, Kate boasts a sparkling Cole Porter score.

Passions run high as leading lady Lilli Vanessi and her ex-husband, actor/director Fred Graham, battle onstage and off in a production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. With romance, comedy, sophistication, and behind-the-scenes highjinks, Kiss Me, Kate combines the irreverent humor of four brilliant writers: Sam and Bella Spewack, Cole Porter and William Shakespeare. Musical numbers include “So In Love,” “Wunderbar,” “Tom, Dick or Harry,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “I Hate Men,” “Always True to You (In My Fashion)” and “Another Op’nin, Another Show.”

First recipient of the Tony Award for Best Musical
Winner! Five 1949 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Script and Best Score
Winner! Five 2000 Tony Awards, including Best Revival and Best Orchestrations
Winner! Six 2000 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival and Orchestrations
Nominee: Four 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival
Winner! 2019 Drama League Award, Outstanding Revival of a Musical

Kiss Me, Kate Extras:

Free Pre-performance Talks: 45 minutes prior to every 2023 main stage performance. Seating is limited — arrive early.
Post-performance talkback - Saturday, July 22nd at 5:30 pm
Opera Adventures: Sunday, July 16th

Performing Artists & Creative Team

Emily Brockway

Lilli Vanessi (Katherine):Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Voice Type:Soprano

Jonathan Hays

Fred Graham:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Voice Type:Baritone

Jeffrey Scott Parsons

Bill Calhoun (Lucentio):Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Lauren Gemelli

Lois Lane (Bianca):Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Adelmo Guidarelli

First Man:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Voice Type:Baritone

Isaiah Feken

Central City Opera: Giuseppe Naccarelli, The Light in the Piazza, 2022; Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Apprentice Artist, 2022

Recently: Papageno (Cover), Die Zauberflote, Des Moines Metropolitan Opera; First Sargent, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Colorado; Il Conte, Le nozze di Figaro, Voci nel Montfeltro Festival

Second Man:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Voice Type:Baritone

Adam Turner

Central City Opera: Conductor, The Light in the Piazza, 2022; Conductor, Madama Butterfly, 2019; Conductor, Carmen, 2017; Conductor, Man of La Mancha, 2015; Associate Conductor, 2014, 2011-12

Recently: Artistic Director, Virginia Opera (since 2018, following four seasons as Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor); Conductor, Il Trovatore, Toledo Opera; Conductor, Three Decembers, San Diego Opera

Conductor:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Ken Cazan

Central City Opera: (Partial Listing) Director, The Light in the Piazza, 2022; Director, Carousel, 2021; Director, Billy Budd, 2019; Director, Acis and Galatea and The Face on the Barroom Floor, 2018

Recently: Professor of Opera/Resident Stage Director, USC Thornton School of Music; Director, Curlew River/Orefo ed Euridice, University of Southern California; Director, All the Truths We Cannot See: A Chernobyl Story (World and American premieres), Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland/University of Southern California

Director:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Daniel Pelzig

Choreographer:Kiss Me, Kate (2023)

Contact our Box Office for more information at 303-292-6700 or boxoffice@centralcityopera.org.

2022 Festival subscribers can renew their subscription now for the 2023 Festival Season.

New 2023 subscriptions are on sale now.

Single tickets will be available on April 3, 2023.

Performance Location

Central City Opera House
124 Eureka St.
Central City, CO 80427

Music and Lyrics

Cole Porter

Book

Sam and Bella Spewack

Sung In

English
(English supertitles)

Run Time

TBD

Production Sponsors

Pamela and Louis Bansbach

Kiss Me, Kate is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.
www.concordtheatricals.com