Cole Porter wrote many a song in the great American songbook, and dozens of Broadway musicals, his most famous being
Anything Goes and
Kiss Me Kate (currently being revived on Broadway). I previously learned about his career in musical theater and film at an installment of the
Ordway's Broadway Songbook six years ago, but I didn't know much about his personal life. The musical revue
Red Hot and Cole, now playing at the longest running theater in Minneapolis, Theatre in the Round, fills in those gaps. Song after hit song, interspersed with scenes from Cole's life and his fabulous and famous friend, all taking place at the swankiest cocktail party. It's an evening filled with great music and a deeper understanding of the man behind so many witty, clever, tuneful songs.
