Musical director and orchestrator David Charles Abell discusses his work on Kiss Me Kate

As Opera North revives its acclaimed 2015 production of Kiss Me Kate, the humorous reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew by Bella and Sam Spewack, Judi Herman speaks to the show's musical director and orchestrator David Charles Abell. He discusses the Spewacks, the brilliant Jewish husband and wife team, revealing the role the Spewacks played in getting Cole Porter onboard to write the musical that revived his career and is arguably his best and most popular work.

Kiss Me Kate runs Saturday 23 – Saturday 30 June. 7.30pm (Mon- Sat) 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). £10-£105. London Coliseum, WC2N 4ES. 020 7845 9300. www.operanorth.co.uk

The show then tours to Scotland Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 July. 7.15pm, 2.15pm (Sat only). £15.50-£49.50. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, EH8 9FT. 013 1529 6000. www.operanorth.co.uk