Kiss Me Kate

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Delight your audience with a great performance of Kiss Me Kate, the 1948 show-within-a-show classic by Cole Porter that takes cue from William Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew.

Our collection is composed of different backdrops that you can use for the on- and off-stage scenes of the characters Fred and Lilli. We have backdrops portraying European villas, gardens, dungeons, streets, and village sceneries for when they are performing in the Shakespearean drama. We also have backdrops portraying skylines, rowhouses, and theaters for scenes set in the present day.

Kiss Me, Kate revolves around the director, producer, and actor Fred Graham and his former wife, the diva-ish but talented actress Lilli Vanessi. Fred and composer Cole Porter invite Lilli to perform as the lead actress in their musical production The Taming of the Shrew, in which Fred is playing the leading male role. Off stage, they behave uncannily like Petruchio and Katherine, the characters they are portraying on stage.

Meanwhile, Fred also brings in his new flame, the promiscuous Lois Lane, to play a role in the production. On the shows opening night, Bill Calhoun, Lois other boyfriend, tells her that he has just run afoul with some gangsters. He has lost a huge sum of money in a gambling session with them, and has signed a promissory note using Freds name. Trouble ensues when the gangsters turn up in the backstage to collect the money owed from Fred.

It is said that Kiss Me, Kate was inspired by the conflict that transpired between husband and wife Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who were actors in their 1935 production of Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew. In 1947, Samuel and Bella Spewack were approached by Broadway producer Arnold Saint-Subber to write a fictional musical based on the actors quarrels, which he himself witnessed years earlier.

Find the best backdrops, curtains, and drapes for Kiss Me, Kate only at Grosh Backdrops and Drapery. Browse our online gallery using the form provided on this page, or call us at 877-363-7998 for assistance. We can also be reached through our websites contact page.

Grosh is based in Los Angeles, California and Evansville, Indiana. We deliver throughout the United States.

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