An ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and two gangsters looking for some money owed to them.

Fred and Lilly are a divorced pair of actors who are brought together by Cole Porter who has written a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Of course, the couple seem to act a great deal like the characters they play. A fight on the opening night threatens the production, as well as two thugs who have the mistaken idea that Fred owes their boss money and insist on staying next to him all night.—John Vogel <[email protected]>

Fred Graham and Cole Porter invite the actress Lilli Vanessi to perform Katherine in his musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew" where Fred has the lead role of Petruchio. Fred and Lili are divorced and he also invites his affair, the promiscuous Lois Lane, to perform Bianca. While they are preparing for the opening night, Lois' boyfriend Bill Calhoun, who performs Lucentio in the play, tells to Lois that he lost a large amount gambling and he signed a bill (promissory note) using the name of Fred. Out of the blue, two gangsters come to the backstage to collect the money from Fred to pay their boss.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The director and actor Fred Graham and the composer Cole Porter invite the talented but spoiled actress Lilli Vanessi to perform Katherine in his musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew", where Fred has the lead role of Petruchio. Fred and Lili are divorced and he has also invited his affair, the promiscuous Lois Lane, to perform Bianca. While they are preparing for the opening night, Lois' boyfriend Bill Calhoun, who performs Lucentio in the play, tells Lois that he lost a large amount gambling and he signed a bill (promissory note) using the name of Fred. Out of the blue, two gangsters come to the backstage to collect the debt from Fred. Meanwhile Fred and Lilli have the same behavior in real life as Katherine and Petruchio on the stage. In the intermission, Lilli tells that she will leave the play; however, Fred lures the gangsters to keep Lilli acting.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Composer Cole Porter and director Fred Graham, who is also to star as Petruchio, talk legendary actress/singer Lilli Vanessi to play the female lead, Katherine, in Porter's new stage production "Kiss Me, Kate", a musical translation of the William Shakespeare comedy "The Taming of the Shrew". Talking Lilli into doing so is quite a feat seeing that Fred is her ex-husband with whom she parted on not so good terms a year earlier, and that Fred has cast Lois Lane, his new girlfriend, in the role of Katherine's sister, Bianca. Lois, however, is only using Fred as she is secretly seeing Bill Calhoun, cast as Lucentio, one of Bianca's suitors. The relationship between Fred and Lilli changes during rehearsals, on opening night before the curtain goes up and even on stage on opening night that mimics the story of the play. In turn, what happens on stage has to change on the emotional whims of the two leads. Thrown into the mix are Tex Callaway, Lilli's on-again/off again cattle baron fiancé, and two gangsters who've come to the theater to collect on a gambling debt and won't leave the stage in order to protect their boss' new investment.—Huggo