Kids’ Gallery Workshops Performing Arts

Musical Theatre

POETS IN PERFORMANCE
A Review

Characters

Depending on the number of students, each student may play more than one part.

SONG Brush Up Your Shakespeare

1 Welcome to ‘Poets In Performance!’

2 A musical review celebrating the intersection of poetry and

Broadway.

3 The number you just watched was from a musical called Kiss
Me Kate, by Cole Porter.

4 However, Kiss Me Kate was based on a very old play called

The Taming Of The Shrew by the poet William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare lived in 16th Century England. He wrote many

5 plays and poems.

He called his poems, Sonnets.

6
The Taming of the Shrew tells the story of Katherina – who
7 was a little bit difficult to get along with… she did not like
anyone.

Petruccio takes on the challenge of marrying the difficult

8 Katherina…

And eventually they end up falling in love.

9
Bringing you back – almost – to the present day, is our second
10 poetic musical marvel.

Cats! is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

1
It is based on the poetry collection, Old Possum’s Book of
Practical Cats, by one of the greatest literary figures EVER,
2 T. S. Elliot.

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Kids’ Gallery Workshops Performing Arts
Musical Theatre

In our next number, we will meet Skimbleshanks: The

Railway Cat.
3
SKIMBLESHANKS: THE RAILWAY CAT

SONG Did you know that Cats! ran at the New London Theatre in
the West End for 21 years?
4
When it closed in 2002, it was the longest running musical
ever!
5
Although now, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera,
Blood Brothers, The Lion King and Mamma Mia have all
6 played for longer.

But anyway, back to Cats! This musical has loads of

characters and some awesome names. Here’s a little taste.
7
THE NAMING OF CATS

We have now reached our final stop on our perfectly poetic

POEM musical journey.

8 Stephen Sondheim is regarded as one of the greatest musical

theatre lyricist/poets ever.

9 In his musical Into The Woods, he combines many well-loved

fairy tales into one epic story.

10
Stage Notes

Grouchy

Smurfette

Brainy

Vanity

Hefty

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Musical Theatre

Stage Notes

Gargamel

Papa

Gargamel

Stage Notes

Grouchy

Smurfette

Hefty

Brainy

Papa

SONG

Stage Notes

Smurfette

Papa

Stage Notes

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Kids’ Gallery Workshops Performing Arts
Musical Theatre