"To be or not to be... in love?" That is the question in the Haslemere Players’ sizzling production of Cole Porter’s iconic musical Kiss Me, Kate. This much-loved Broadway classic will be staged at Haslemere Hall from Tuesday, March 25 to Saturday, March 29, with a special matinee performance on the Saturday.

Kiss Me, Kate is a comedic masterpiece about a theatre company touring with a musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The show brings to life the chaotic and hilarious dynamics between ex-husband and wife Lili Vanessi and Fred Graham, whose bickering on and off-stage mirrors the tempestuous relationship of their Shakespearean counterparts, Katherine and Petruchio. As tensions flare, a live argument unfolds on stage, adding a layer of comedy and drama.

A secondary love story involves Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend Bill, who gets into trouble, leaving him deep in debt and pursued by a pair of gangsters.

With Cole Porter’s unforgettable songs, including Brush Up Your Shakespeare, Always True to You, Tom, Dick and Harry, Another Opening, Another Show, and the classic Too Darn Hot, this musical is an epitome of the golden age of Broadway. Premiering in 1948, Kiss Me, Kate became Porter’s only show to run for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway, and in 1949, it won the first Tony Award for Best Musical.

Expect a whirlwind of backstage antics, a flirtatious ingénue, singing gangsters, a gambling hoofer, and a love story that is, quite simply, too darn hot.

Tickets are available from Haslemere Hall. To catch this classic book from now to February 28 for a 10 per cent discount. Do it quick though as this discount won’t last for ever. Visit www.haslemerehall.co.uk or call 01428 642161.