Kiss Me, Kate Tickets

Brush Up Your Shakespeare With Kiss Me Kate Tickets

Enjoy the drama of Shakespeare mixed with dazzling tunes from Cole Porter in Kiss Me Kate, returning to London in 2024! This Broadway classic is a firm audience favourite that is equal parts juicy, dramatic, romantic and witty, starring Line of Duty's Adrian Dunbar and musical theatre star Stephanie J Block as the sparring lovers.

It plays at the Barbican Theatre for a strictly limited season, and following the sold-out success of fellow Golden Age musical Anything Goes for two years running, don’t wait to book tickets for another summer hit!

About Kiss Me Kate

Set on and off stage during a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, Kiss Me Kate follows the cast’s efforts to put on one hell of a show - even if there’s just as much drama amongst the cast and crew. Sparks fly as director and star Fred Graham and his leading lady Lilli Vanessi clash… and Lilli happens to be his ex-wife too! Complicating matters further is Fred’s current girl, Lois Lane, her gambling boyfriend Bill, unexpected gangsters, and a ferocious battle of the sexes that proves real life is often more chaotic than art.

With arch nods to the chaos of showbiz and an outrageously fun story, this is a bombastic celebration of life treading the boards.

Cast and Creative Team

Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher, who helmed the recent London Coliseum revival of My Fair Lady, directs a cast of 50 in this bombastic production, including Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J Block as Fred Graham/Petruchio and Lilli Vanessi/Katharine. It marks Line of Duty star Dunbar's musical theatre debut, while Block makes her West End debut after performing on Broadway in Into the Woods, The Cher Show and 9 to 5.

Songs in Kiss Me Kate

Cole Porter’s melodious, upbeat and jazz-inspired songs are the highlight of this exuberant musical, with performances of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare”, “Always True to You in My Fashion”, “Too Darn Hot” and more guaranteed to raise the roof.

The show, which has a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack, has been a success since it first debuted on Broadway, winning the Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score in 1949, and Best Revival of a Musical in 2000. It has been restaged countless times on stages big and small, in the UK, US and further afield for more than 60 years, and always proves a hit with audiences.

What play is Kiss Me Kate based upon?

This classic musical is based on an even more classic play, The Taming of the Shrew, with a heavy dose of backstage drama added in. It was also famously inspired by real-life acting couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who had a few spats of their own during their 1935 Broadway production of Shakespeare’s play!

With onstage and behind-the-scenes drama combined to create a real Golden Age gem, Kiss Me Kate is one of the 20th-century musicals you shouldn’t hesitate to book tickets for.

Don’t Miss Tickets for Kiss Me Kate

Enjoy one of musical theatre’s most feel-good and electric shows as it returns to London with a bang. Kiss Me Kate is singing up a storm at the Barbican Theatre for one summer only!