Piedmont College Navigator

Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: A&E

When I first heard about Kiss Me, Kate, I must say that my intention was not to go. I'm not really certain why I felt that way, but all the same, I am glad that I changed my mind. I laughed through the entire performance. This wonderful and hilarious musical was performed in the new Swanson Center theater under the direction of Bill Gabelhausen.

I enjoyed the way this performance turned out, and from what I heard while sitting in the audience, so did the crowd. The set was ridiculous, but that fit the persona of the play perfectly.

As far as the acting talent, I have seen none better. Constantly the Piedmont College theatre department utilizes its finest student actors to produce the most entertaining performances.

Every actor played his or her part well. I thought Katie Sawhill's and Shannon Webber's performances were the most enjoyable. Sawhill played the lead female role of Lilly Vanessi, and Webber portrayed Lois Lane. Both were exquisite in their performances, bringing their characters to brilliant life. I felt as though the characters were real people, true to life. The whole cast brought each of their respective characters to life.

The lighting seemed appropriate for each of the respective scenes, but what most caught my attention were the costumes for this play within a play. Typically you don't pay attention to wardrobe, but when Elizabethan clothing is used in a musical set in the late forties, it really catches the eye. This really made the distinction between the different times and showed that nothing has changed over a period of roughly 400 years.

Overall, I was won over by the performance and the musical itself. The humor was great.

My favorite part was in Act II, Scene 7 during the song Brush Up Your Shakespeare. Dillon Nelson and John King portrayed their gangster characters excellently.

I laughed most, though, at the end of Act I when Lois's character had to find her way behind the curtain when she accidently got stuck in front of it. She smiled the entire time and giggled just before she disappeared as though that incident was a normal part of her life.

I would like to see this play again. For now, I simply look forward to a number of other fantastic creations produced by Gabelhausen's "theatre family."

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