The Tony Award-winning musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman” opens at the Theatre 麻豆原创 Main Stage on Oct. 16 and runs through Oct. 26.<\/p>\n
The music for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the composer\/lyricist team who also scored “Cabaret,” “Chicago” and “Curtains,” and the script is by “Ragtime” playwright Terrance McNally. It is based on a novel by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig.<\/p>\n
The story centers around the relationship between two prisoners, Molina and Valentin, in a Latin American jail. Molina is a homosexual who dreams of being a woman, and Valentin is a political revolutionary. Molina tells stories about Aurora, a legendary actress as a means of escaping the brutal realities of life in prison.<\/p>\n
Senior BFA musical theatre major, Kyle Wilkinson, plays the role of Molina. \u201cThis is the hardest role I\u2019ve performed. It\u2019s very dark, very heavy,\u201d he said. \u201cMolina has fantasies of the Spider Woman\u2014she symbolizes death and he is terrified and obsessed with her. “Kiss of the Spider Woman” isn\u2019t just about two people in prison, it\u2019s about what humanity does to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Director Mark Brotherton is focusing on the themes of escapism in this musical. \u201cTo some degree, all musicals depend on a suspension of belief. But when a musical [such as “Kiss of the Spider Woman”] is purposefully set in a fantasy world, it becomes more believable and we realize why people go to musicals and movies\u2014to escape their own lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The story contains violence, profanity and abuse, and patrons should be prepared for some uncomfortable moments. But just as the prisoners use their imaginations to escape, the writers of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” have included moments for the audience to escape into a fantastical world of vibrant music and electrifying dance.<\/p>\n
Choreographer John Rudell, a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program, fused several styles of dance into this production. \u201cThe choreography reflects classic Broadway dance, but is also heavily Latin influenced with inspiration from tango, flamenco, paso doble, and salsa dance styles,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is very sensual.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior Abby Jaros, also a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program, is playing the role of Aurora\/Spider Woman. \u201cTheatre 麻豆原创 hasn\u2019t staged a musical with this level of dance since I\u2019ve been here,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing in this show has proven to me that I can be a song and dance woman. I\u2019ve danced my whole life, but now I can\u2019t see my life without adding the singing and acting component to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Production at a glance:<\/p>\n