The 1948 Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me, Kate" is based on William Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming of the Shrew".

Show Structure

The musical presents a play-within-a-play format, following a theater company in Baltimore as they stage a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew". The story centers on divorced actors Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, who are forced to work together as the leads Petruchio and Katherine in the Shakespeare adaptation. Their real-life conflicts mirror the battles between Shakespeare's characters, creating drama both onstage and backstage.

Shakespeare's Influence

Cole Porter and the librettists Sam and Bella Spewack incorporated substantial elements from Shakespeare's original play. Porter drew inspiration directly from Shakespeare's text for several song titles, including "I've Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua" and "Were Thine That Special Face". The finale "I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple" borrowed so heavily from Shakespeare's words that Porter credited the lyrics to "Wm Shakespeare," adding they were "slightly altered by Cole Porter with apologies".