{"id":51926,"date":"2024-05-22T16:43:37","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T14:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2044536"},"modified":"2024-05-22T17:16:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T15:16:40","slug":"adrian-dunbar-on-kiss-me-kate-if-it-all-goes-wrong-you-can-blame-me","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/adrian-dunbar-on-kiss-me-kate-if-it-all-goes-wrong-you-can-blame-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Adrian Dunbar on Kiss Me, Kate: \u201cIf it all goes wrong, you can blame me\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Line of Duty star will make his West End debut in just two weeks. <\/p>

By Olivia Garrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 14:43 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Adrian Dunbar, everyone\u2019s favourite straight-talking superintendent of AC 12, is set to make his West End debut next month in Cole Porter\u2019s classic musical, Kiss Me, Kate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Line of Duty<\/a> star is taking on the role of Fred Graham in this glitzy Shakespearean adaptation, with Broadway legend Stephanie J Block sitting opposite as his leading lady, Bartlett Sher as director and Anthony Van Laast as choreographer \u2013 who readers may recognise from ITV\u2019s Mamma Mia! I have a Dream<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The result of this impressive joint CV is a show whose cast and crew have a grand total of 20 Tony awards between them, leaving prospective audiences, and indeed Dunbar, feeling very safe in their hands: \u201cThese people really know what they\u2019re doing, it\u2019s just down to me to screw the whole thing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a> at a special sneak peak, the actor joked: \u201cEverything else about it is amazing, the costumes, the cast, so if it goes wrong, you can blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite this slight underselling of his role, Dunbar is in fact no stranger to the world of singing and musicals. Looking back at his start in the industry he said: \u201cI\u2019ve always loved musicals. I used to absolutely love Fred Astaire and my mother was a fabulous soprano who did all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.<\/p>\n

\"Adrian\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block at the sneak peak of Kiss Me Kate.<\/span><\/figcaption> \tNeil P. Mockford \/ Stringer \/ Getty<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cBut then of course when I came out of drama school in the \u201980s, there was the tense business of Northern Ireland, so there was quite a lot of acting work that was to do with that and, a lot of the time, it was for heavy drama roles.\u201d<\/p>\n

As time went on, Dunbar found himself getting pulled further and further away from musicals and comedy roles, despite always wanting to do one. He said: \u201cI had been banging onto my agents about musicals for some time, but I don\u2019t think they really took it seriously, and then it just never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took the 2022 series Ridley<\/a>, for the actor\u2019s dream to finally be realised. In the ITV drama, Dunbar stars as an ex-Detective Inspector Alex Ridley, who returns police work for one last case, which he takes on alongside running \u2013 and singing in \u2013 a jazz club. In a previous press Q&A, he shared that singing in the show was his own invention<\/a>: \u201cI really wanted to do something with music in it, so I suggested that he owned a jazz club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, this idea served as a wake up call to those in the theatre business, and soon enough this new musical challenge came along.<\/p>\n

\"Adrian\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Adrian Dunbar plays the piano and sings as Ridley.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cI think they wanted an actor, they didn\u2019t necessarily want someone who was a musical theatre name to play this part opposite Stephanie. It\u2019s going to be an interesting thing, putting those layers of reality into the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, with less than two weeks until previews start (on 4th June), Dunbar admitted that there\u2019s still plenty of work to be done. For now, they\u2019re just getting \u201clooks and glimpses\u201d of what the show will be. But he added: \u201cWe\u2019re working very hard to make it our<\/em> version of Kiss Me, Kate and I think we\u2019re going in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he was keen to express that all the songs and best moments from the original musical are still there, this new adaptation will have a slightly modern feel, especially concerning the relationship between the two leads.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe\u2019re not throwing the baby out of the bathwater, but it\u2019s going to be more of a battle of equals between [myself and Stephanie]. Rather than her acquiescing to him and him \u2018Taming the Shrew\u2019, as it were.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cYou\u2019re going to see everything you expect, apart from those one or two moments you don\u2019t need anymore, because they went too far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Dunbar said that Kiss Me, Kate was one of the best and \u201cbiggest things\u201d he\u2019d ever been in, concluding: \u201cThe audience are really going to get their money\u2019s worth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buy Kiss Me, Kate tickets at TodayTix<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Did you know that the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe is going on tour<\/a>? Plus, here\u2019s how to get\u00a0Inside No. 9 tickets<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When and where can I see Kiss Me, Kate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Adrian\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J Block as leads in Kiss Me Kate.<\/span><\/figcaption> Kiss Me Kate<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Kiss Me, Kate will run for just 15 weeks at The Barbican from 4th June to 14th September 2024.<\/p>\n

The show takes place every Monday to Saturday, with captioned performances on 24th July and 17th August, BSL performances on 31st July and 24th August, and audio-described on 17th July and 10th August.<\/p>\n

This stunning theatre is easily accessible, with Moorgate (Hammersmith and City, Circle, Metropolitan and Northern lines) and Barbican (Hammersmith and City, Circle and Metropolitan lines) nearby, as well as a selection of bus routes.<\/p>

How to buy Kiss Me, Kate tickets<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You can find Kiss Me, Kate tickets across a range of theatre ticketing sites, but the best price we\u2019ve found is at TodayTix<\/a> and LOVE Theatre<\/a>. At the moment, both of these are running their spring sale which cuts the price of tickets down to \u00a325.<\/p>\n

However, you can also find tickets at Ticketmaster<\/a> and London Theatre Direct<\/a>.<\/p>\n