A SIZZLING hot musical starring an Ilkley singer is heading to Leeds later this month as Kiss Me, Kate comes to town.

Cole Porter’s legendary show from the golden age of Hollywood musicals is being brought to life by Leeds Gilbert & Sullivan Society. No strangers to performing the popular Victorian satirical G&S operettas, members of the Society are loving the opportunity to move into a different era to 1940s Baltimore and to tackle the swinging tunes – and dances - of Kiss Me, Kate.

Famous for numbers such as Too Darn Hot, Another Opnin’, Another Show and Brush Up Your Shakespeare, the show was a smash hit when it opened on Broadway in 1948 and became an Oscar-nominated film starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ann Miller in 1953. The show tells the tale of a ramshackle theatre company attempting to put on a musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, a story that appears to be playing out backstage as well as in front of the audience. With a love triangle that turns into more of a love hexagon, a couple of gangsters chasing the wrong man and a show that has to succeed or close, Kiss Me, Kate is an enjoyable romp from start to finish.

Playing the role of the flirty wannabe actress Lois Lane, made famous by Ann Miller in the film version, is Nicky Burrows. Nicky, 28, from Ilkley, is relishing the opportunity to play the saucy starlet: “Lois is the original ‘tart with a heart’, an ambitious good-time girl, who has a string of men after her, but whose heart belongs to her on-off boyfriend Bill. I love playing her – she has some wonderful songs like Always True To You In My Fashion and I get to stretch my dancing legs too.” When not performing with various musical and operatic societies around Yorkshire, Nicky runs her own equine business, Smarty Party Ponies, running children’s parties from a farm in Adel. In July the farm will play host to an open-air production of Pride & Prejudice.

Kiss Me, Kate is coming to the Carriageworks Theatre on Millennium Square from Tuesday, March 21 to Saturday, March 25. During the week performances are at 7.30pm and on Saturday there is one performance at 4.30pm. Tickets cost from £8 to £17.50, with discounts for the usual concessions, and special ticket prices for children under 16 which are half price all week. They are available from the City Centre Box Office on 0113 376 3813.

Leeds Gilbert & Sullivan Society, which celebrated its centenary in 2009, is going from strength to strength. Chair Janet Johnston puts this down to the wide age range of the membership: “We’re incredibly lucky to have a large group of younger members who give our productions energy and vibrancy, balanced by the older, more experienced members who bring an understanding of musical theatre and confidence on stage. We have people who are new in to the Society and others who are celebrating their 40th year with us this year. It’s this mix, combined with the talents of our producer Anita Adams and our Musical Director, Jonathan Drummond, which means the quality of our productions is so high. We’re particularly excited to be tackling one of the most popular and enduring American musicals this year. Kiss Me, Kate is going to be a scorcher of a show, and I’d urge anyone who wants to experience excellent musical theatre to come along.”