©New York Times
Sept. 23, 2001


Cast, Crew Rally for Kiss Me, Kate
By The Asociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- "Another Op'nin', Another Show."

Its cast and crew have come to the rescue of Broadway's KissMe, Kate,
taking not only a 25 percent pay cut allowed by their unions, but then
deciding to donate an additional 25 percent out of their own pockets
to purchase tickets to the musical over the next two weeks.

Those tickets will be distributed to Broadway Cares, a nonprofit theater
organization, and then allocated to various groups working on disaster relief.

Producer Roger Berlind tore up the show's closing notice Sunday on stage
at the Martin Beck Theatre before the matinee.

"Because of an extraordinary outpouring of generosity and good will of
every member of the Kiss Me, Kate family, I have the enormous
pleasure of ..." Berlind said before his voice trailed off and he
scattered the torn bits of paper on the stage. "The show will go on."

Kate was scheduled to close Sunday because of a steep drop in
ticket sales following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Center. It was one of six Broadway shows that decided to end
their runs Sunday.

"We have been struggling to keep the show going and the economics of a
simple 25 percent pay cut didn't work for this show," Berlind said.
"We were doing less business than some of the others; our running costs
are high, and we were closing Dec. 30 anyway."

At first, the cast and crew wanted to take a 50 percent pay cut, a plan
rejected by the 11 unions that represented the 100 people in the
Kiss Me, Kate company.

It was Joseph Maher, the Martin Beck's head carpenter, who came up with
the idea to have the cast and crew buy tickets at the box office and
then donate them. The show's leading lady, Carolee Carmello, and Dominic
Derasse, who plays trumpet in the show's orchestra, joined him in
winning over the company.

"I think it is a testament to the spirit of Broadway and New York,"
Carmello said in her dressing room before the performance. "This
company is a family, and it has risen to the occasion."

This revival of Kate, which opened in November 1999, joins five
other musicals -- Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago,
Rent and The Full Monty -- which have taken 25 percent pay
cuts to keep their shows running. The salary cuts involve everyone
connected with the shows -- from actors to musicians to stagehands to
press agents to scenic designers and more.

What will happen to Kiss Me, Kate after the two weeks is uncertain.

"We will just have to see if business picks up," Berlind said. "Maybe we
will be OK, but a lot will depend on what happens on Broadway as a whole."

After Berlind made his speech, the play began with an actor walking on
stage, sweeping off the closing notice and singing the first few words
of the first song in the Cole Porter musical, "Another Op'nin', Another
Show." The audience cheered.

They cheered again at the show's final curtain, when a tearful Carmello
brought the entire Kate company on stage to sing "God Bless America."
And when the theatergoers wouldn't leave, the company sang a chorus of
where it all begin nearly three hours earlier, "Another Op'nin', Another Show."


main Kiss Me, Kate 2001 page