By Wendell Brock

For the AJC

If love brings out the temperamental tendencies of ordinary folk, imagine what it does to the egos of actors and actresses.

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thereasoniblog.com J.C. Long and Natasha Drena take a bow in Aurora Theatre's production of "Kiss Me, Kate," a play-within-a-play that features the music of Cole Porter.

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The brawls of stage titans Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, during a 1935 Broadway production of “The Taming of the Shrew,” are said to have inspired “Kiss Me, Kate,” which was authored by yet another turbulent husband-and-wife team, Samuel and Bella Spewak.

In “Kiss Me, Kate,” a thespian couple’s oil-and-vinegar chemistry spills onstage during a production of Shakespeare’s “Shrew,” which is “conceived, produced, directed by and starring Fred Graham,” a monumental stage presence with a gambling problem. Though the Spewaks’ 61-year-old book may feel a little antiquated by today’s standards (Fred is pursued by a pair of vaudevillian gangsters), the sparkling music of Cole Porter makes the play-within-a-play a perennial delight.

It’s good, then, to see Lawrenceville’s Aurora Theatre have a go at this classic and remarkable score, which includes a dazzling lineup of standards: “Why Can’t You Behave,” “So in Love,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Always True to You (in My Fashion),” “From This Moment On” and so on.

Directed by Alan Kilpatrick and starring Natasha Drena as Lilli/Katherine and J.C. Long as Fred/Petruchio, Aurora’s season opener is an ambitious achievement that somehow manages to transcend its time-draining length (2 hours, 45 minutes, including intermission) by dint of strong performances and energetic dance numbers. (Choreography is by Ricardo Aponte.) If it occasionally lacks polish, it’s still got plenty of pizazz.

Drena — who won a Suzi Bass Award for playing the lead in Aurora’s 2007 production of “Annie Get Your Gun” — gives another fetching turn as a woman who doesn’t suffer romantic fools gladly. Long, who I have always felt to be an underused local actor, makes for a feisty and physically agile Fred. David Rossetti (Bill Calhoun/Lucentio) is the ensemble’s best and most fluid dancer, while Glenn Rainey and Bethany Irby have a good time with the comedic shtick of the gangsters. As General Harrison Howell, artistic director Anthony Rodriguez has the kind of political swagger that will make for a fine FDR if the company ever decides to do “Annie,” although I must say it’s a little jolting to see him giving a curtain speech one moment, then dancing sleevelessly with the chorus the next.

When small theaters take on such large projects, you can expect — and overlook — some minor problems.

Bob Hoffman has cleverly designed the set so that the band sits on a platform as the silly spectacle unfurls down below, and scenic artist Sarah Thomson’s curtain for Fred’s “Shrew” is a thing of beauty. When the action turns to Padua, the saggy, uninspired costumes and shaky backdrops may be intentional — a spoof of a low-budget road show — but they can still be a little distracting.

My biggest concern with this uneven effort, though, is the producers’ apparent disregard for audience members’ time. The show is too darn long in the first place, but add the curtain speech, the unexplained break-down of the sound system during the second act and the travel time (if you don’t live nearby), and you may be looking at a four-hour commitment.

For some, the pleasures of Porter will make up for the inconvenience. Others may be less amused. “Kiss Me, Kate” has its charms. Brevity just isn’t one of them.

Theater review: “Kiss Me, Kate”

Grade: B-

8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Through Sept. 6. $16-$30. $14 matinee Aug. 26. Aurora Theatre, 128 Pike St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222, auroratheatre.com.