Kiss Me, Kate

This exuberant film of Cole Porter's 1948 masterpiece--a backstage tale of a company putting on a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew that's widely regarded as one of the greatest Broadway tuners of all time--derives from the Tony-winning New York revival directed by Michael Blakemore in 1999. This performance, however, was filmed during a later run at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London, with Brent Barrett and Rachel York replacing original stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie. Of the New York principals, only Michael Berresse remains as athletic dancer Bill Calhoun (Nancy Anderson--splendid as Lois--is from the U.S. tour). One might regret that the Broadway troupe wasn't filmed for posterity, but this trans-Atlantic performance is a fine one, although the two comic mobsters who insert themselves into the action aren't as amusing as they might be (amazingly, in their hands the ordinarily foolproof “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” falls a bit flat). Blakemore's production is essentially faithful, adding a few harmless, topical jokes; the only serious miscalculation is the insertion of “From This Moment On” (which was added to the 1953 MGM film) into the second act. Sporting good camerawork (though the close-ups sometimes reveal how strenuously the cast is working; in live performances, a bit of distance often lends enchantment) and sparkling DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, this sure to be popular production is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—June 27, 2016—Shout! Factory, 143 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $22.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Kiss Me, Kate features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD stereo soundtrack, but no extras. Bottom line: this winning production of a classic musical makes a welcome high-def debut.]