First opened in Broadway in 1948, Kiss Me, Kate is regarded as the biggest hit by legendary composer Cole Porter (Gay Divorce, Fifty Million Frenchmen and Anything Goes), and will now shown in China for the first time at the Beijing Exhibition Center from September 22-25. It will be among the several other Broadway musicals, including Les Misérables, Titanic, 42nd Street and Chicago, to be introduced by Beijing Exhibition Center Media Co to Chinese theaters this year.
Part of the mission of this series, according to Beijing Exhibition Center Media Co representatives, is to enhance the appreciation of musicals in China. Unlike movies or concerts, musicals are still quite a novel form of media to Chinese audiences. And in order to push forward the development of the still-fledgling theater industry in China, a well-established fan base is required, though considering the knowledge gaps among the audience, popular shows with well-known storylines are first to be considered, company representatives emphasized.
As one of the all-time Broadway classics, Kiss Me, Kate was Porter's major comeback after an equestrian accident he suffered in 1937. It ran for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway and won the first Tony Award presented for Best Musical in 1949. A musical structured as a play within a play, it was a response to the "book musical" movement that took place at the beginning of the 20th century, in which a musical where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, is meant to evoke emotions other than laughter.
Global Times