Stephanie J. Block to Make West End Debut in Kiss Me, Kate Alongside Adrian Dunbar

Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block will make her West End debut in Kiss Me, Kate this summer, starring alongside Irish actor Adrian Dunbar. Block will play the roles of Lilli Vanessi / Katharine opposite Dunbar's Graham / Petruchio in a production directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. Performances begin at the Barbican Theatre on June 4, with the limited engagement running through September 14.

Block was last seen on Broadway as the Baker's Wife in the 2022 Broadway revival of Into the Woods. Her Broadway credits also include The Boy From Oz, Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5, Anything Goes, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony nomination), Falsettos (Tony nomination) and The Cher Show (Tony Award). Dunbar is best known for his role in the BBC television series Line of Duty as well as his many stage roles in the U.K. Kiss Me, Kate will mark his musical theater debut.

“Look, when asked to bring a Cole Porter classic to the Barbican stage under the care and vision of Bart Sher, one must say yes!” Block said in a statement. “There are so many firsts to this opportunity, and at this stage of my career, firsts are not the norm. How wonderfully scary and challenging and thrilling.”

Kiss Me, Kate centers on a battle of the sexes behind the scenes of a production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. It features a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack and music and lyrics by Cole Porter, including classic tunes “Another Op'nin', Another Show,” “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “Tom, Dick or Harry” and “It’s Too Darn Hot.” It won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949 and was last staged on Broadway in 2019 at Studio 54, starring Kelli O’Hara and Will Chase.

The West End production boasts a full-scale orchestra and will feature choreography by Anthony Van Laast, costumes by Catherine Zuber and sets by Michael Yeargan.