''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by

Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele (born December 8, 1939) is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director. Biography Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Raúl Daniele and Rosa del Carmen Almoina. After her parents divorced, her mother got a job ...

and Jim Lewis (and additional material by

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', ''Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' See ...

) and music by Bob Telson. It is based on

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

's 1981 novella of the same name.

Production

The musical premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the Plymouth Theatre on June 15, 1995, and played 37 performances and 28 previews before closing on July 16, 1995. The show was a presentation of

Lincoln Center Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broad ...

, as part of their New Collaboration Series. The production was conceived, directed, and choreographed by

.Canby, Vincent.
"Theater Review: Chronicle Of A Death Foretold; A Tale of Fate And Magic, Told Back to Front"

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, June 16, 1995. Retrieved on 2008-03-04. The original production starred

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins (born May 30, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''RED PILL'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Fea ...

, Saundra Santiago as Angela Vicario and dancers

George de la Peña George de la Peña (born December 9, 1955) is an American ballet dancer, musical theatre performer, choreographer, actor, and teacher. He was born in 1955 in New York City, New York. Originally trained as a concert pianist, de la Peña switched t ...

(as Santiago), Alexandre Proia (as Bayardo San Roman), Gregory Mitchell and Luis Perez. It was nominated for three

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s and five Drama Desk Awards, although it failed to win any awards.

Synopsis

In a small town in South America, Bayardo San Roman, a newly married man rejects Angela Vicario, his young bride when he discovers that she is not a virgin. She returns to her family home, where they make her reveal her lover. She names Santiago, the best friend of her brothers, who is actually innocent. They are determined to avenge the family honor by killing their best friend: a "death foretold."

Analysis

The show is called a "dance theatre" piece, "driven more by dance than by music." John Simon, writing in ''New York Magazine'' termed it a "dance-drama", with "dancing, singing, speaking, and posturing." The show has three songs and no actual book, with the "narrative propelled by dance."

Critical reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of ''

'' found the musical "a frequently stunning show that is less a conventional musical adaptation than a performance piece". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine wrote that, despite the fact that in "the novella's passage from page to stage, something of its fateful weight has been forfeited", the musical was "smart, surrealistic and visually entrancing."Leithauser, Bra
Perchance To Dream - Time
'Time'' Magazine

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'' at the Internet Broadway Database
{{Michael John LaChiusa 1995 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on short fiction