Douglas Sills & Christine Sherrill to Star in Kiss Me, Kate at Shakespeare Theatre Company

It's not just "another op'nin' of another show," it's the classic musical the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) was destined to produce: Kiss Me, Kate. STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul, director of last season's smash hit Man of La Mancha-the best-selling production in the Company's history-and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Director, Resident Musical) helms Kiss Me, Kate, with choreography by Michele Lynch (Washington National Opera's Show Boat).

The winner of the first-ever Tony Award for Best Musical, featuring such timeless Cole Porter numbers as "So in Love," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" and "Too Darn Hot," runs November 17, 2015-January 3, 2016, at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).

As they try to stage a musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, sparks fly on and off stage between Fred Graham (Douglas Sills), the show's director and star, and Lilli Vanessi (Christine Sherrill), his leading lady-and ex-wife. Add to the mix passionate young lovers-ingénue Lois Lane (Robyn Hurder) and her gambler boyfriend Bill Calhoun (Clyde Alves)-plus a few musically inclined gangsters' heavies, and the result is a sharp and witty night with some of Cole Porter's most immortal songs.

"Combining the 1940s backstage world with a musicalized The Taming of the Shrew makes Kiss Me, Kate such a treat for fans of musicals and of Shakespeare," says Paul. "I'm thrilled to share my love for this great show with our audiences, and to explore the fascinating romantic complexities of the characters Fred and Lilli and their Shakespearean counterparts Petruchio and Kate."

STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn says, "Kiss Me, Kate takes the Shakespeare Theatre Company to another level in producing musicals. This is a song-and-dance extravaganza on a scale our audiences have not seen here before, and it's coming from a theatre that is exceptionally well-suited to bringing Shakespeare-inspired material to the rich life it deserves."

To purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Musicals at the Shakespeare Theatre Company are made possible by the Beech Street Foundation. Kiss Me, Kate is sponsored by the HRH Foundation.

Press Night/Opening Night will be Monday, November 23, at 7:45 p.m.

Artists and dates are subject to change.