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Kiss Me Kate Play Analysis

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March of 2017 brought snow, rain showers, and a great musical to Hillsdale College’s campus. This semester, the Hillsdale College theatre department performed a magnificent rendition of the classic 1950’s play, Kiss Me Kate. Thanks to my core class’s requirements, I was blessed with the golden opportunity to see a marvelous musical that brought me much joy. What is interesting about Kiss Me Kate is that is a very complex play. In fact, there are two striking aspects of the play that stand out. First, the play can be described as a play within a play. Indeed, Kiss Me Kate is both a story about struggling actors putting on a show with the threat of Chicago-eques gangsters looming over their performance and a rendition of one of William Shakespeare’s …show more content…

Before crossing the frozen tundra of Hillsdale College and sitting in one of the seats of Markel Auditorium, I had never seen a performance or been exposed to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Or so I thought. A little known fact about myself is that I am a budding connoisseur of 1990’s romantic comedies. Halfway through the night, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I kept thinking that this play was similar to a movie I hold dear to my heart. As soon as intermission came, I pulled out my iPhone and did a quick web search. My suspicions were indeed confirmed. The 90’s classic, Ten Things I Hate About You was similar to Kiss Me Kate. Both were modern takes on William Shakespeare’s classic play. With this knowledge, I believed I was able to better appreciate both the play, plot, and …show more content…

Many critics, cynics, and general attention-seekers have attempted to claim that Kiss Me Kate is an endorsement of domestic violence, spousal abuse, and shoddy morals. Before attending the performance, I was told by a close female friend that Kiss Me Kate was notably anti-woman. After watching the performance, I have to say that her comment was most undoubtedly fake news. Those concerned with such elements should be delighted to hear that those “naughty parts” aren’t so naughty nor are they the more critical aspects of the play. Also, one must realize that even though we are leaving in 2017, the play was popular in the 1950’s and was based off of a really old Shakespearian play. Naturally then, the behaviors exhibited by the characters might irk us. The characters represent ideals and beliefs from an age different than ours. Regardless of the morality presented, this difference in periods will lead to discomfort and confusion as, news flash, things change over

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