From the Chair On behalf of CLOGS Musical Theatre, may I offer you a very warm welcome to this performance of the Broadway Musical, Kiss me, Kate. The cast has worked very hard to bring this show to the stage under the skilful guidance and patience of our Director, Matt Heaton, our Musical Director, Peter French and our talented Choreographer Debi Weaver. I would also like to extend our welcome to the Mayor of Chippenham, Mrs Mary Norton and her consort Mr Cedric Norton and to Mr Nick Lawrence, the National President for NODA. As always, we have had a busy year performing and entertaining the good folk of Chippenham. Our summer concerts were well attended and we were able to make financial giftings to support the building project at St Peter’s Church in Frogwell and to support the work of the Friends of St Andrew’s Church in Chippenham. Our Clogettes were invited to perform at the open-air cinema event in Chippenham and at the fun day at John Coles Park. In December we sang carols around the Christmas tree and entertained the guests who chose to spend Christmas at The Angel Hotel. Next year we are looking forward to celebrating our 40th birthday and we hope that you will be part of that celebration as you continue to support us. Enjoy the show! Anne Holmes Chairperson chippenham-clogs.co.uk CLOGS Musical Theatre, Chippenham @ChippCLOGS Kiss Me Kate Kiss Me Kate is the high ground of Cole Porter's long and fruitful career as a composer for the musical theatre. It is the only one of his musicals to exceed a thousand performances on Broadway (1,077). It is also the only one given half-way around the world in over a dozen translations. In Poland Kiss Me Kate was the first American musical comedy ever seen there, and at the Volksoper in Vienna it proved the greatest box-office attraction in the sixty-odd-year history of that theatre. The strongest element of this production is of course Cole Porter's music. Never before, or since, has he been so rich and varied in his invention. At turns he is satiric, witty, nostalgic, sensual. Walter F. Kerr did not overstate the case when in his review he remarked that the score is "one of the loveliest and most lyrical yet composed for the contemporary stage". Adapted from www.theatrehistory.com Our Next Production CLOGS MUSICAL THEATRE THE MUSICAL 13th-17th March 2019 We are recruiting new CLOGS and CLOGETTES members for our next production of the musical BLITZ! in March 2019. Rehearsals commence in September 2018: CLOGETTES: Thursdays 6.30 - 7.30pm CLOGS: Thursdays 7.30 - 9.30pm Please contact our Chairperson Anne Holmes for further details: Tel: 01225 810580 email: [email protected] Synopsis: Act One A present day theatrical troupe is presenting Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew in Baltimore, Maryland. The cast includes Fred Graham and his former wife, Lilli; also Bill Calhoun, an irresponsible gambler, and the girl whom he is interested in, Lois Lane. Bill breaks down and confesses to Lois that he is involved with gangsters, who have his I.O.U. for $10,000 from a crap game. This is not the first time Lois has had to tolerate Bill's escapades, and she inquires poignantly why he cannot behave himself (Why Can't You Behave?). Meanwhile Fred and his ex-wife, though divorced, begin to realise that their one-time tender feelings for each other have not completely died out. They start to reminisce about the shows in which they had appeared, including an old-fashioned Viennese operetta (Wunderbar). Just before the opening night of The Taming Of The Shrew, Fred sends his star, Lola, flowers. By mistake they come to Lilli's dressing room; further proof to her that Fred still loves her. She now openly reveals that that love is reciprocated (So In Love). On stage, the performance of The Taming Of The Shrew is taking place (We Open In Venice). As a play within a play, we learn that Bianca cannot get married until her older sister, Katherine, has found a husband (Tom, Dick And Harry). When Petruchio arrives in Padua to seek out a rich wife (I've Come To Live It Wealthily In Padua) he is chosen for Katherine. The latter, a shrew, makes no attempt to conceal her feelings about men (I Hate Men), while Petruchio knows that Katherine is not the woman of his dreams (Were Thine That Special Face). Nevertheless, he agrees to marry her. We are now transferred back from Shakespeare's Padua to the intrigues within the theatrical Company. Having learned that Fred's flowers were meant for Lola, Lilli bursts into a fit of temper, and announces hotly that she is leaving the Company for good. Her departure, however, is delayed by the arrival of gangsters coming to collect $10,000 from Bill for his I.O.U. Synopsis: Act Two We return to The Taming Of The Shrew. Petruchio and Katherine are now man and wife. Since her violent tempers and caprices are complicating Petruchio's life to no end, he begins to recall nostalgically his single-blessedness (Where Is The Life That Late I Led?). Backstage, when Bill reprimands Lois for flirting with one of the actors, she makes light of her tendency to be fickle (Always True To You In My Fashion). But, for all his troubles with Lois, Bill has good cause for cheer. There has been a violent shake-up in the gangster world, as a result of which Bill's I.O.U. is no longer valid. Bill and Lois are now reconciled, and Katherine and Fred return to each other. Adapted from www.theatrehistory.com The Taming of the Shrew Fortune-hunting Hortensio, rich old Gremio and newly-arrived-in-town Lucentio all wish to court beautiful Bianca, but she cannot marry before her older sister, the shrewish Katherine. Petruchio vows to woo Katherine both for her dowry and for the challenge of overcoming her fearsome reputation. Hortensio and Lucentio gain access to Bianca by disguising themselves as tutors, while Lucentio's servant Tranio plays the role of his Master. Petruchio marries Katherine, turning up late wearing unsuitable clothes, and takes her off to his country house where he 'tames' her throughvarious forms of deprivation. Tranio persuades a travelling schoolteacher to pretend to be Lucentio's father Vincentio in order to give assurance of Lucentio's financial means. There is confusion when the real Vincentio turns up, but the love-match between Lucentio and Bianca ishap- pily settled. Hortensio marries a wealthy widow and Petruchio and Katherine return to reveal that she is a changed woman. Adapted from www.rsc.org.uk/the-taming-of-the-shrew Creative Team Director: Matt Heaton Matt is thrilled to be back working with CLOGS on Kiss Me Kate as they are such a friendly, dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working group. This is Matt’s 5th show with CLOGS, last directing 9 to 5 in March 2017. Matt would like to thank Peter, Debi and Anne for all of their support, particularly for covering whilst he has been directing Oliver! with a different group at some overlapping times; something he’d rather not repeat! When not directing, Matt is Operations Director at Jordan Manufacturing Ltd, Yate. Musical Director: Peter French Peter’s love of musical theatre began with listening obsessively to his parents’ records of The Pajama Game and Salad Days when he was far too young to understand the plots. He has been involved in musical groups in the North Wilts area for the past 16 years, especially CLOGS and CAOS a musical theatre group in Colerne. He has been MD for several shows in that time, including: The Merry Widow, South Pacific, Annie, Guys and Dolls, The Producers and 9 to 5 for CLOGS, Oklahoma, The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof and The Pajama Game for CAOS, as well as schools Les Miserables for TAOS in Trowbridge. He is also the accompanist for CitySound Voices choir in Bath, for the Harmonics Group in Kington Langley and for the Box Panto Group. Choreographer: Debi Weaver Debi studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts where she gained qualifications in drama, dance and singing. Theatre Credits include: Sarah in Guys and Dolls, Ann in Half A Sixpence, Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me Kate, Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof, Yum Yum in the Hot Mikado, Shirley in The Producers and Ros in 9 to 5. Debi has been a member of CLOGS since 2010. She is part of the founding creative team for CLOGS youth section The Clogettes, creating, adapting and directing their performances, Harmony, Golden Tickets and Stage School. Debi directed Oliver! for CLOGS and frequently acts as Creative Director for their annual concerts. The Cast Fred Graham/Petruchio: Paul Whelehan When he is not appearing in his main role as a Kitchen Designer for a local Company in Chippenham, Paul regularly performs with the Malford Players. He appeared with CLOGS in South Pacific and The Full Monty. He played President Roosevelt in Annie, Big Jule in Guys And Dolls, Roger Debris in The Producers and Mr Sowerby in Oliver! Lili Vanessi/Katherine Minola: Sandra Mayo Sandra first joined CLOGS Musical Theatre in 1995, when she played the part of Magnolia in Show Boat. She has been a Principle in many of CLOGS productions, her favorites being Anna in The Merry Widow, Mrs Lovette in Sweeney Todd, Adelaide in Guys And Dolls and last year, Violet in 9 to 5.