Kiss Me, Kate is Cole Porter’s sparkling 1948 musical—the classic that earned the first-ever Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949. The conflict occurs between Fred Graham, the show’s director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters.