The actor spoke to Love London Love Culture about the Crucible Theatre’s production of Kiss Me Kate.
Hi Adam, thanks so much for talking to me. What can audiences expect from this production of Kiss Me, Kate? My pleasure! Kiss Me, Kate is a great musical comedy – so lots of laughs to start! I’m excited to be amongst so much talent – the entire cast has so much energy and creativity. The score is absolute heaven; you’ll find yourself humming along to some classics: So In Love and Too Darn Hot are my faves!
How familiar with the musical were you before becoming involved with this production? It’s actually the only time in my career that I have revisited a show as I was part of the BBC Proms Production at the Royal Albert Hall a couple of years ago, so I’m pretty familiar with it. James McKeon (Musical Director), Matt Flint (Choreographer) and Paul Foster (Director) are all determined to look at the show with fresh eyes, which is really exciting and inspiring. I look forward to finding new things in this production.
Was there anything in particular that made you want to be involved with Kiss Me Kate? The director, Paul Foster. I did my first job with him eight years ago on a lovely show called Bells Are Ringing and we played at the Union Theatre in London. The cast were incredible (led by Crucible Veteran Anna-Jane Casey) and I got on brilliantly with Paul, I really love his work and was delighted he wanted to work together again.
Could you tell me a bit more about your character Hortensio? Hortensio is a character that we meet in the play-within-the-play, which revolves around a group of actors touring within a production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. He’s a nobleman and a suitor vying for the affections of Bianca (played by the incredible Amy Ellen Richardson) and he features in the quartet Tom, Dick of Harry – which is so much fun: exhausting, but a hoot nonetheless. Watch out for the wordplay…and innuendo!
How has it been working with Paul Foster on the production? He’s incredible – he’s a mile a minute, fiercely smart and lots of fun. One of the best things about Paul is the care he puts into getting a group of good people together for a production and from there, he inspires good work ethic and a great playful atmosphere which I think is integral in a rehearsal process.
What are you most looking forward to about performing in Kiss Me Kate? I am most looking forward to playing the Crucible stage again – I’ve been here twice before and it’s one of my favourite theatres. It has its challenges with it being a thrust stage but it’s all the more fulfilling. It’s such a lovely theatre community up in Sheffield, too. It’s a great place to play.
By Emma Clarendon
Kiss Me, Kate is at the Crucible Theatre from Friday 7 December – Saturday 12 January. Tickets are available from: https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/kiss-me-kate/