History Theatre / KissMeKate

--->'''Lilli''': "I'm marrying an important man! Do the words "World War 2" mean anything to you?"
--->'''Fred''': "[[DeadpanSnarker You're marrying]] ''[[DeadpanSnarker Adolf Hitler?]]''"

* TheUnfairSex: Averted; Lilli slaps, punches and commits at lest one GroinAttack on Fred, but when he finally has enough he grabs her and spanks her so long and hard she can't sit down.

It's Baltimore, post-WorldWarII. High-minded actor Fred Graham is trying out his musical version of Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'', starring as Petruchio opposite his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi in the title role ("Another Op'nin', Another Show"). Fellow actress Lois Lane (Bianca) laments the behavior of chronic gambler Bill Calhoun (Lucentio), as Bill has signed Fred's name to a large gambling debt ("Why Can't You Behave?"). Fred and Lilli reminisce about old times ("Wunderbar"), but soon start to argue. Lilli realizes she still loves Fred ("So In Love"), and when a bouquet of flowers from Fred (actually intended for Lois) arrives in her dressing room, she rejoices even more. The show opens with Fred, Lilli, Bill, and Lois onstage ("We Open in Venice"), and continues with numbers by Lois and Bill ("Tom, Dick, or Harry"), Fred ("I've Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua") and Lilli ("I Hate Men"). But things start to go awry when Lilli reads the ''note'' included with the bouquet, acting out onstage and forcing Fred to take matters into his own hands. By spanking her in front of the audience.

A 1948 [[TheMusical musical]] by Music/ColePorter. ''Kiss Me Kate'' was an answer to ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' in that the music advanced the plot. It also won the first Tony Award for Best Musical (along with four other Tonys). A film version was released in 1953.

* ThreeDMovie: The film version, although it's now extremely difficult to see it in the original format.

* PainfulRhyme: "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" has a few:
-->"If you quote a few lines from [[Theater/{{Othello}} Othella,]]\\
Then they'll think you're one heck of a fella.\\
If your blonde won't respond when you flatter her,\\
Tell her what [[Theater/AntonyAndCleopatra Tony told Cleopaterer.]]"

Tell her what [[Theater/AnthonyAndCleopatra Tony told Cleopaterer.]]"

* CutSong: "From This Moment On", though it was later reinstated.
** Strangely, this is a cut number from a different Cole Porter musical, ''Out of This World'', which made its way into the film version of ''Kiss Me, Kate'' and then, in a different context, revivals of the stage version.

A 1948 [[TheMusical musical]] by ColePorter. ''Kiss Me Kate'' was an answer to ''{{Oklahoma}}'' in that the music advanced the plot. It also won the first Tony Award for Best Musical (along with four other Tonys). A film version was released in 1953.

* BreakawayPopHit: CutSong "From This Moment On" to a limited extent.

* NamesTheSame: Lois Lane.

* IntercourseWithYou: "Too Darn Hot".

* LiteraryAllusionTitle

* [[PunchClockVillain Punch Clock Villains]]: The Two Men

* ReallyGetsAround: Lois sings a whole song about it

* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Fred and Lily do quite a bit of this
* SpankTheCutie

* ThoseTwoGuys: The Two Men (Slug and Lippy).

* {{Bowdlerisation}}: In the musical number "Too Darn Hot", the line "according to the Kinsey Report" was changed to "according to the latest report" in the film version.

A 1948 [[TheMusical musical]] by ColePorter. ''Kiss Me Kate'' was an answer to ''{{Oklahoma}}'' in that the music advanced the plot. It also won the first Tony Award for Best Musical (along with four other Tonys).

* ShowWithinAShow: The musical version of ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'', which itself is a ShowWithinAShow, based on the opening number of their musical, ''We Open In Venice''.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: "Too Darn Hot," in the stage version.

* FairForItsDay: The roles of Fred's and Lilli's personal assistants seem almost blatantly racist in hindsight, though they are still sympathetic--if underdeveloped--characters. On the other hand, back in the '40s you had people complaining that they got too much face-time, along with those ''scandalous'' act-opening numbers (MoralGuardians actually tried to ban "Too Darn Hot", and did at least succeed in transferring it to the white characters and toning down the lyrics for TheMovie)...

* ThoseTwoGuys: The Two Men.

It's best known song is "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". "Another Op'nin' Another Show" is also widely recognized.