It’s Baltimore.  It’s 1950.  We’re in the middle of warm ups for the opening night of a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Taming of the Shrew directed by Fred Graham, the egotistical leading man playing Petruchio to his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi’s portrayal of Katherine the Shrew.  Onstage and off it becomes clear that, as much as this couple profess to hate each other, they are also still in love. Alongside their bickering liaison, the show’s supporting actress, Lois Lane, is supporting her gambling boyfriend, Bill, as he attempts to evade the clutches of two local gangsters. Add mistaken identity, the mob, and comedic routines into the mix and you get Cole Porter’s smash hit Kiss Me Kate.