“ANOTHER opening, another show” at Ilkley Playhouse! And Kiss Me, Kate is “Too darn hot” to miss out on. A perfect fit for summer, it’s sizzling with energy and as uplifting as a June morning. The Kiss Me, Kate cast have been brushing up on their Shakespeare to bring you a dazzling production of this much-loved Cole Porter classic. Full of toe-tapping sing-alongs (spot the not too subtly hidden song titles), it truly is “Wunderbar”!

Kiss Me, Kate is brought to you by the team behind High Society and last year’s outstanding production of Betty Blue Eyes, so audiences are in for a treat: it’s a zinging production full of joy, laughter and romance that will have your spirits singing along with your voice!

If you haven’t seen Kiss Me, Kate on stage before, or you don’t remember the film (although who could forget Howard Keel in tights, or Kathryn Grayson’s voice and Ann Miller’s legs- famously insured for $1 million) then here’s an overview.

The story unfolds around a Baltimore production of The Taming of the Shrew. Feuding actors Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, recently divorced, are performing together as Petruchio and Katherine in a Broadway-bound musical version of Shakespeare's play. A flailing show-within-a-show, replete with gangsters, comedy and fantastic song and dance numbers, make this an exuberant, funny and beguiling musical.

Book now or miss out!

Kiss Me, Kate runs from Monday, June 5 to Saturday, June 17, with a matinee performance on Saturday, June 10. Remarkably, the second week is nearly booked up already, so book quickly for the first week or you may miss out.

We are also delighted to be holding our first dementia-friendly performance on Tuesday, June 6. We working with Dementia Friendly Ilkley and receiving advice from The Alzheimer's Society in Bradford to make this event as accessible as possible. This includes adaptations to technical aspects of the show, flexible seating options, and a relaxed attitude to audience responses and movement. Please contact the office at Ilkley Playhouse if you’d like any more information.

There’s more laughter on the horizon with our next Stagefright Comedy night. Seymour Mace joins us with his quick fire gags – he’s been described by The Guardian as a performer with 'Relentless originality...manic and gripping', and elsewhere as “a hybrid of Harry Hill, Half Man Half Biscuit and Viz. Seymour was a Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee in 2015, and has featured on Dave's One Night Stand, The Weird World Of Russell Brand, The Stand-Up Show, and Clive Anderson's Chat Room, and was a regular in BBC2's Johnny Vegas sitcom Ideal.

Other comedians include Hayley Ellis, a quick-witted ad-libber who’s worked on Russell Howard's Good News and Radio 4’s Newsjack; Ryan Brown, a specialist in one liners, and up-and-coming Stu Woodings. Finally, Ilkley’s own Robson Stroud will make his stand-up debut, discussing subjects including but no doubt not limited to cats, dogs, birds, superheroes, celebrity culture, modern dating, politically correct coffee, and the financial product industry.

To book tickets for any of our productions, please visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or phone the Box Office on 01943 609539.