It’s becoming something of a formula: Cole Porter musical plus a couple of big stars, plus lavish set, equals lovely bit of summer escapism at the Barbican. They did it with Anything Goes in 2021 and 2022, a perfect revival which enticed audiences back after Covid and reminded us all of the nice things: showtunes, comedy gangsters, Sutton Foster.
Now it’s the turn of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Bartlett Sher, now the go-to man for reviving large-scale golden age musicals (recently My Fair Lady and The King and I). Even if it doesn’t hit the same highs as Anything Goes – that was a better production of a better show – this is still a supremely lovely, supremely silly way to spend a summer evening.
