Rating: 
Summary: Sit down and listen up...
Review: 'Kiss Me Kate', Winner of 5 Tony Awards, 6 Drama Desk Awards and 4 Outer Critics Awards including Best Musical Revival, is a wonderful production with breathtaking performances from a stellar cast including Brent Barrett and Rachel York. What I want to clear up is the criticism of the DVD. I have to disagree with everything negative said - the sound is fine and a pleasant balance of orchestra and vocal with a crisp clarity. Secondly, the DVD is widescreen and captures a lot of the onstage 'business'. Indeed the cameras do follow the main action, but never misses anything. It has been filmed by people who both appreciate the performance, the art and the intention of Michael Blakemore. Since he directed it and then adapted 'Kiss Me Kate' for television, surely he of all people knows what needs to be filmed? Always, the performance has an 'on stage' feel and I urge you to ignore the exaggerated views of others here. Sound is good, video is good, DVD menu is good and I guarantee that you'll be as enthusiastic about the DVD as I was today after watching it. Maybe the others need to appreciate that this is a stage 'adaptation' as stated on the DVD case.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Darn Hot!
Review: A worry I always have with filmed stage shows (as well as modern movie musicals in general) is that very few directors these days seem to be able to direct the filming of a choreographed dance routine. Worried about a static camera, they jump around and, worse still, give us close-ups of the dancers' faces. Looking back to the MGM and Warner musicals of the Golden Age, one can see that letting the dancers and choreographer do thier stuff and filming it with the minimum amount of technical flourish is the way it should be done. I am pleased to say that this filmed stage production of 'Kiss Me, Kate' mostly gets it right and shows off the staging both of the dances and the frantic dramatic action to it's best advantage.
Brent Barrett and Rachel York are absolutley fantastic in the leading roles, as are all of the principals (in particular Michael Berresse as Bill Calhoun, who fleshes out his character beyond the typically under written 'romantic lead'). Barrett plays one of Broadway's most complicated and demanding male roles with confidence and great emotion when required. York sings like an angel, screams like a banshee and pulls faces that could stop a clock as well as get the audience rolling in the aisles. Speaking of audiences, one way in which this production suffers is the seeming lack of an audience. Although there are laughs at the jokes there is no applause after the numbers. This seems a ridiculous omission, particularly considering the theatrical nature of the piece.
The re-written role of Harrison Howell, changing him from a boring cattle-baron to an agressive military man, jars as does the bizarre inclusion of a song for the character - 'From This Moment On'. The scene in the show involving Howell being mocked and eventually put to sleep, surely must rank as one of Broadway's most perfectly crafted and witty set-pieces. The re-written version on this DVD pales in comparison.
Cole Porter's best score is well served both vocally and visually (although I believe 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' is wasted) and the set and costumes are beautiful. I feel that the lighting is lacking in places, creating some gloomy scenes particulary in the 'Shrew' sequences which surely should be vibrant to the point of tackiness. The direction and performance during the 'Shrew' parts of the show are a real highlight - showing that Shakespeare can be fun - particularly when accompanied by a Cole Porter score!
Unless you're mad about gimmicky 3-D camera angles or a sanitized version of the show that avoids the B-word, avoid the Howard Keel, Katherine Grayson film and invest in this infinitely superior version of one of Broadway's gems.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat dissapointed
Review: As a person who absolutely LOVES musical theater and saw the 1999 Revival of Kiss Me, Kate of Broadway with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie I was dissapointed with this production. While the music and the dancing are spectacular I have a few qualms about the actual filming and some of the cast memebers. 1. Hattie: should have been someone else. The woman who plays her in the DVD was not as spectacular as Adriane Lenox who played Hattie in the 1999 Broadway Revival. There are moments when she just ISN'T on key, and it's grating on the nerves. 2. Lois Lane/Bianca: She's so much fun in the DVD, but now as fun as Amy Spanger was. I did enjoy that Bill Calhoun was played by the same person (Michael Berresse). Overall, the performance is superb, but the DVD needs help. No extras, no subtitles, none of the things that set DVD's apart from video.
Rating:
Summary: This Was Our Fave!
Review: Based on the Amazon customer reviews that my husband and I read of the two versions of this musical that are available on DVD, we bought both of them. We started with the other (classical Hollywood) version, and watched until I commented that it really bothered me that so many of the bawdy lines had been censored out. What's the use of Cole Porter without the naughty bits? So we switched it off and watched this production instead. We loved it from start to finish. One of the highlights was the duet, "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," in which the marvelous actors playing the comical Chicago-style mafia thugs take us on a tour from vaudeville to burlesque to Music Hall, evolving the song stylistically with each repetition of the chorus. Altogether a wonderful night out at the theater that I would highly recommend to anyone who treasures the rare wit of Cole Porter. (And the little wink between sisters Bianca and Kate makes the over-the-top final soliliquey of submission palatable.
Someone else might say they prefer the Hollywood version, with its superior technology, orchestration and dancing. But I was put off by the liberties taken with the original script--cutting out so much of the Shakespeare, all the racy little jokes and bad words (the word "bastard" hit the cutting-room floor in that era, and "louse" just doesn't have the same impact). I also didn't appreciate the song "It's Too Darn Hot" sung by her as a bizzare sort of strip tease tap dance. If that's to your liking, you may well prefer the old classic film. It left us both wondering why Hollywood can't seem to find the balance between the pendulum swings of Puritanical censorship and today's tasteless oversexing. Bridget Bardot once said that in Europe, sex is a fact of life, but in America it's an obsession--and it comes out in the unhealthy-feeling treatment of sex that Hollywood films have tended to offer us. So--enjoy this charming theater piece instead!
Rating: 
Summary: Regretfully dissapointed... Definitely a poor product.
Review: Before reading this, please keep in mind that I really REALLY wanted to enjoy this recording... Ok, so on a whim I decided that I'd take a chance and purchase this DVD. I actually saw the tour of this production in Minneapolis and though I wasn't particularly impressed with what i saw, I figured this recording would most likely be superior and I picked it up. Now, I saw Rachel York perform the role live and though she is an undeniably terrific singer, her acting isn't as swell (She's still the best thing about this DVD). Brent Barret is a fine actor and magnificent singer, so I'm quite thankful for him as well. I found Nancy Anderson rather dissapointing in the role of Lois and didn't find much enjoyment in Michael Beresse's performance either. I'd also consider myself a champion for ensemble actors, but I didn't really think any of them displayed much punch either. Some of the roles also seem miscast (I'm sorry, but Hattie is just dreadful). Though the choreography is top notch, the dancing looks sloppy, the sound quality IS poor and the overall energy and tone of the piece is bizarre and stagnant. After viewing the show, it occurs to me that "Kiss Me, Kate", while boasting a magnificent score, is a rather awkward show on stage and its structure and messages are just cumbersome and a little too dated for modern tastes. I would suggest simply purchasing the 1999 Broadway Revival Cast Recording (which is stellar) instead of spending the extra money for a lackluster product such as this.
Rating:
Summary: "Kiss me Kate" is Great on DVD
Review: Brent Barrett and Rachel York are excellent in this London version of the revival of this musical by the great Cole Porter. I enjoyed it during the presentation on NET/13 and was happily suprised when they said it was being offered on dvd, and even more happily so when it arrived from WNET earlier than expected. Only one thing could have made the experience more enjoyable....having Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie on dvd. ;-)))) Enjoy
Rating: 
Summary: Frantic and unfunny
Review: For $50 I would sit through this again. What a dreadful production, especially if you know the fine MGM musical of the same name. The singing is fair, the dancing is poor, the dialogue is mostly shouted (although the actors are miked), and the comics are totally unfunny. The sexual innuendoes are neither errotic or amusing. In short,find something better to do with an evening. Like watching a network sitcom.
Rating:
Summary: Acting and camera
Review: I actually saw the National Tour with Rachel York in it, and I was excited to see this video. I loved the acting of York and Barrett and I thought Nancy Anderson was very cute as Lois/Bianca. York's voice is gorgeous. Except for those three however, the DVD leaves much to be desired. The performances of the gangsters are merely okay, and occasionally annoying. The filming definitely could have been better and I hated some of the cuts, like 1/4 of "We Open in Venice", as well as some plot points such as when Fred discovers that Bill actually signed the IOU, and the DVD didn't have any extras, which disappointed me. I'd recommend it, if only so that one can see the Broadway Revival version, which is beautiful from it's costumes, lights, and direction. As for Bill Calhoun, while I very much admire his voice and dancing talent, the acting was not up to the par of his costars.
Rating:
Summary: So (not quite) in love
Review: I came away disappointed after my first viewing of this DVD of the London production of the Broadway show. Perhaps I'll like it better after subsequent viewings. Initially, I'd have to say it is a not entirely successful video capture of a stage musical. But it does offer enjoyment, and any musical-theater fan should add it to his/her collection. First, the pluses. Let's start with Rachel York. She's a joy and a vocal marvel. Just as good in a different way and loads of fun is Nancy Anderson. Brent Barrett is charming and he sings well, although sometimes I wish the effort were less apparent and his vocal production were freer. After that, there's really no one worth pointing out, and some, in fact, don't seem of Broadway-stage quality. Although this production won a Tony for "Best Revival," I have hard time seeing why. Perhaps I'm too fond of the movie, which zips along nicely and has spectacular dance numbers (Tommy Rall, in particular, is amazing). The stage version has less creativity, dancing that is much less impressive, and some a-tad-too-long numbers (forgive me, Cole Porter). It is a benefit to get the uncensored versions of Porter's lyrics, though. Although the sound on the DVD is fine, one very annoying feature is that the audience response is handled differently throughout. My sense is that they were trying to emphasize the show-within-a-show aspect by technically diminishing the audience response in the backstage segments. Perhaps it was a noble experiment, but in the end it failed. We know the whole thing is a show, and the audience response should have been heard consistently from start to finish. Also making this DVD a lost opportunity is the total lack of extras. You don't even get bios on the cast. So, to sum up: If you collect live musical theater and want to encourage more filming of similar performances, buy this DVD. The three leads I mentioned above will make it worth your while. But I'd also buy the film version, newly transferred to DVD. Although I'd take Ward and Barrett in a heartbeat over Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, the movie has not-to-be-missed dancing (the groundbreaking Bob Fosse and the stunning Ann Miller -- in the same film!).
Rating:
Summary: truly wunderbar!
Review: I can't even begin to describe how excellent this show is!!!!!!! The performances are soooo incredible. Brent Barrett and Rachel York are, as always just superb. Ms York as we all know is one of the most versatile performers toay, and this I believe is her best performance. She was bron to play Lilli, as was Mr. Barrett to play Fred. The singing is deffinately some of the best. Of course, nothing can beat the original with Patty Morison and the late Alfred Drake, but this is my second favorite. I prefer it to the Mazzie/Stokes Mitchell recording. I don't know, the singing seema stronger here. Also, you can see them as opposed to just hearing them. Brent is be-ootiful and taked hold of his character exceptionally well!!!!!!!! And Rachel is gorgeous, especially in the Wunderbar scene. She really has a demanding role, she must sing beautifully (which she REALLY does) scream her head off like a mad women (which she does EXCEPTIONALLY well) she must seem bossy, tyranical, tempermental, bossy, harsh, while also seeming vulnerable, wounded, and a bit frightened, and sad at times. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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