Both musical theatre fans and opera afficionados spend a lot of time debating wether the genres are mutually exclusive. The arguments are usually prompted by such “American operas” as Porgy&Bess, or Street Scene, or Candide. Kiss Me, Kate! is a less likely candidate for operatic status, but here it is on the stage of the Komische Oper in Berlin! Of course the Komische is not the most traditional of opera houses – they often present “lighter” offerings, though that generally means Strauss, not Porter.
However it’s not their “lightheartedness” that sets them apart from the other Berlin opera companies. It is their radical scenic choices that awarded them the title of “Opernhaus des Jahres!”. Much like the (new) Metropolitan, the Komische Oper believes that “Great Opera is Great Theatre”. The problem with lighthearted musicals is that they can hardly sustain the radical interpretations of the Komische Oper – and Kiss Me, Kate! is as lighthearted as they get.
Not that there isn’t much that is serious about the musical. There is domestic violence, abuse, divorce, gambling, gangsters, and in this production there’s even cocaine addiction. But none on if it is treated seriously – in fact the playful way that the husbandly spanking is administered is almost offensive to even the most moderate feminist sensibility. The musical’s age (it premiered in 1948) just doesn’t seem to cut it as an excuse.
The standard way of dealing with it is the same strategy directors use with Shakespeare’s original on which it’s based. Katherine/Kate/Lilli compromises her capitulation with some type of aside to the audience, indicating that she still has some self-respect, while she sings “I am ashamed that women are so simple…” I’m afraid that no amount of grimacing can save this musical from its patriarchal history.
The Komische goes even further in trying to “queer” the musical, which opened in perfect anticipation of Berlin’s week-long Gay Pride celebrations – it’s also co-sponsored by Berlin’s main gay publication, the Siegessaeule. An odd “dream ballet” sequence is inserted during the wedding-within-the-play, in which crossdressing versions of the principals get married. In general, sequined cowboy hats and chaps abound. Dagmar Manzel in the title role was selected along the same lines – she’s also served well by the production, which has been tailored as a star vehicle. (She is assigned the opening number and much of “Too Darn Hot”, originally an African American specialty routine, but obviously not interpeted that way in German). Manzel is definetely in touch with her audience. She vamps, she belts, she poses – she’s in general a large presence.
Having a strong and dynamic woman in the role, while providing an engaging performance, makes the final moments of the musical even more puzzling: Why does she give in, without any sign of compromise on his side? No amount of exaggerated staging, sequinned dancers, and tap routines, can ever explain that. Perhaps the best evidence that Kiss me, Kate! is now an opera, is how terribly dated it is.
