Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Cole Porter’s contribution to Kiss Me, Kate, through its songs, is especially celebrated and musicologists have often connected this to Porter’s ambition to rival the success of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! This chapter tracks Porter’s journey in composing for Kiss Me, Kate, rejecting the idea that he was committed to writing a new kind of musical. Instead, it shows how he reasserted his stylistic interests from his previous hit musical comedies, especially from the 1930s, to make Kiss Me, Kate distinctively “Porterian.” Beginning with an exploration of Porter’s creative process, the chapter explores how Porter created synergy between the backstage and Shakespearean scenes of Kiss Me, Kate, rescored the central love story, and imposed his own signature style on the show after the score initially seemed finished.</jats:p>