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Episode 8
In this episode, Michael Graham interviews musical theatre expert Hannah Marie Robbins on the writing, performance history and gender politics of Kiss Me, Kate (1948), a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew written by Cole Porter and Bella & Sam Spewack.
*Content warning: this episode includes discussion of domestic violence*
02:15 Introducing Kiss Me, Kate
04:52 What's so fascinating about this musical?
08:02 Kiss Me, Kate in an opera context; the balance between "high" and "low" art
11:04 The creative process of Cole Porter and Sam & Bella Spewack; treatment of Shakespeare and the gender politics of collaboration
19:46 Adaptation of the gender politics of The Taming of the Shrew in Kiss Me, Kate
28:58 Kiss Me Kate in a 1940s performance context
32:30 Stage and screen adaptations of the musical 1948-1999
39:10 The Taming of the Shrew and Kiss Me, Kate in a present-day context; gender and power dynamics
44:51 Final thoughts; potential pitfalls of staging the musical; reading/listening recommendations
Hannah Marie Robbins is an Assistant Professor in Popular Music at the University of Nottingham, and Director of the University of Nottingham Centre for Black Studies. They specialise in musical theatre history and the representation of race and gender on the musical stage.
Hannah's research interests include the life and work of Cole Porter and the role and representation of Black creatives in musical theatre history. They are currently writing their first book on the hit musical Kiss Me, Kate (1948), as well as working on publications about film star Lena Horne, and on intersectionality in musical theatre.
Hannah is also co-curator of the international network Black in Arts and Humanities, and the Publishing Partnerships Officer for the Free Black University. In their spare time, they run The Black Book Challenge, championing geographically diverse publications by Black women and trans spectrum authors, as well as supporting Black and queer people in accessing higher education.
