By STACEY VREEKEN
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER

“Kiss Me Kate,” the main production at Cabrillo Stage, is a light romp, paying homage to theater life with the traditional song, dance, costume and staging we have come to expect from summer theater in Santa Cruz.

“Kiss Me Kate” is a Cole Porter musical written by Sam and Bella Spewack, staged as a play within a play. Set in the 1940s, it tells the story of a traveling theater troupe presenting Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” The plot of “Shrew” is lightly reflected in “Kiss Me Kate” when Teressa Byrne as actress Lili and Joe Kinyon as actor Fred work out their romantic roundelay as a former couple who despite all distractions are meant for each other and a life in theater.

Byrne is terrific as Lili/Kate, using her voice to both comic and serious effect. She has the acting chops to carry the audience through some of the thinner plot points common to musicals, helping you to suspend disbelief while chuckling at her ability to poke fun at her operatic voice and theater. Some of the funniest scenes, including the hilarious, “I Hate Men,” come from Byrne’s energy and personality, when often the lead female role in a musical is left to warble heartfelt ballads.

Joe Kinyon is adept as her foil Fred and Petruchio. He has the proper dash and uses his opera training to play a bit of the rogue as well. It’s tough to root for Fred as he pursues other women besides Lili, but Kinyon manages to make the character both swaggering and lovable after all.

As Lois/Bianca, Jill Reasoner puts her dancing moves to work and comes up with a charming New York accent. Her alley cat character gets some of the best songs of the night with “Why Can’t You Behave?” a longish “Tom, Dick or Harry” and the Betty Boop style “Always True to You in My Fashion.”

Andrew Willis-Woodward is adept as her foil Bill/Lucentio, and Glen David and Michael Gomes get the laughs when they help you “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”

But mostly, “Kiss Me Kate” is an ensemble show, giving director Janie Scott a chance to choreograph a play that features plenty of dancing. While opening weekend showed the need for a little more rehearsal for some of the more complicated scenes/moves, the summer run should smooth out any challenges.

The costumes, as always, were colorful and creative, capturing the eccentric theater feel and providing distinction between the play-within-a-play scenes.

A favorite scene the entire night — when everything gelled — was also the favorite song of the night: “Too Darn Hot,” led by Paul Hughes. The choreography, singing, dancing, set design and enthusiasm of the cast all came together to create that magic we call “theater.”