''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with music by
John Kander
John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...
and
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...
, with the book by
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.
Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," ...
. It is based on the
Manuel Puig
Juan Manuel Puig Delledonne (December 28, 1932 – July 22, 1990), commonly called Manuel Puig, was an Argentine author. Among his best-known novels are '' La traición de Rita Hayworth'' (''Betrayed by Rita Hayworth'', 1968), ''Boquitas pint ...
novel ''
El Beso de la Mujer Araña''. Directed by
Harold Prince
Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre.
One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...
, the musical had runs in the
West End (1992) and
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 ...
(1993) and won the 1993
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 cer ...
for
Best Musical.
Despite a decidedly mixed review by
Frank Rich
Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO.
Rich is current ...
, the musical ran on Broadway for 904 performances.
Plot
Luis Alberto Molina, a gay window dresser, is in a prison in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, serving his third year of an eight-year-sentence for corrupting a minor. He lives in a fantasy world to flee the prison life, the torture, fear and humiliation. His fantasies turn mostly around movies, particularly around a vampy diva, Aurora. He loves her in all roles, but one scares him: This role is the spider woman, who kills with her kiss.
One day, a new man is brought into his cell: Valentin Arregui Paz, a
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
revolutionary, already in a bad state of health after torture. Molina cares for him and tells him of Aurora. But Valentin can't stand Molina and his theatrical fantasies and draws a line on the floor to stop Molina from coming nearer to him. Molina, however, continues talking, mostly to block out the cries of the tortured prisoners, about Aurora and his mother. Valentin at last tells Molina that he is in love with a girl named Marta.
Again, Valentin is tortured, again Molina has to care for him afterwards. In his fantasies, Aurora is next to him, helping him do so.
The prison director announces to Molina that his mother is very ill and that Molina will be allowed to see her on one condition: he must tell them the name of Valentin's girlfriend.
Molina tells Valentin about a man he loves, a waiter named Gabriel, who does not return his feelings, and the two men cautiously begin to bond. Only a short while afterwards, Molina gets hallucinations and cramps after knowingly eating poisoned food intended for Valentin. He is brought to the hospital ward, talking to his mother and to the Spider Woman. As Molina is brought back, Valentin starts suffering from the same symptoms, also from poisoned food. Molina is afraid that Valentin will be given substances that might make him talk and so protects Valentin from being taken to the hospital. As Molina nurses him, Valentin asks him to tell him about his movies. Molina is happy to do so; Valentin also shares his fantasies and hopes with Molina.
Molina is allowed a short telephone conversation with his mother, and he announces to Valentin that he's going to be freed for his good behaviour the next day. Valentin begs him to make a few telephone calls for him. Molina at first refuses, but Valentin persuades him with sex. Molina is brought back the next day, heavily injured. He has been caught in the telephone call, but refuses to tell whom he has phoned. The warden draws his pistol, threatening to shoot him, if he doesn't tell. Molina confesses his love to Valentin and is shot. The scene then shifts to Molina in a heaven-like world, where all of the people in his life are watching his final "movie." The Spider Woman arrives and gives her deadly kiss as the curtain falls.
Songs
; Act I
* Prologue – Spider Woman and Prisoners
* "Her Name is Aurora" – Molina, Aurora, Aurora's Men and Prisoners
* "Over the Wall" – Prisoners
* "And the Moon Grows Dimmer" – Aurora
* "Bluebloods" – Molina
* "Dressing Them Up" / "I Draw the Line" – Molina and Valentin
* "Dear One" – Molina's Mother, Marta, Valentin and Molina
* "Over the Wall II" – Prisoners, Molina and Valentin
* "Where You Are" – Aurora, Aurora's Man and Prisoners
* "Over the Wall III" / "Marta" – Valentin and Prisoners
* "Come" – Spider Woman
* "I Do Miracles" – Aurora and Marta
* "Gabriel's Letter" / "My First Woman" – Gabriel and Valentin
* "Morphine Tango" – Orderlies
* "You Could Never Shame Me" – Molina's Mother
* "A Visit" – Spider Woman and Molina
* "She's a Woman" – Molina
* "Gimme Love" – Aurora, Molina and Aurora's Men
; Act II
* "Russian Movie" / "Good Times" – Aurora, Molina and Valentin
* "The Day After That" – Valentin and Families of the Disappeared
* "Mama, It's Me" – Molina
* "Anything for Him" – Spider Woman, Molina and Valentin
* "Kiss of the Spider Woman" – Spider Woman
* "Over the Wall IV" / "Lucky Molina" – Warden and Prisoners
* "Only in the Movies" / "His Name was Molina" – Molina and the People in His Life
Productions
''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' was given a workshop by New Musicals, whose goal was to create, develop, and provide a working home for sixteen new musicals over four years, at the Performing Arts Center,
State University of New York
The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...
at
Purchase
Purchasing is the process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between ...
in May 1990. It was directed by Harold Prince with choreography by
Susan Stroman and featured
John Rubinstein
John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director.
Early life
Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the dau ...
,
Kevin Gray,
Lauren Mitchell
Lauren Stephanie Mitchell (born 23 July 1991) is an Australian former artistic gymnast. She is the 2010 World champion on the floor exercise and the 2009 World Championships silver medalist on the balance beam and floor exercise. Mitchell i ...
, and
Harry Goz
Harry Goz (February 16, 1932 – September 6, 2003) was an American musical theater actor and voice actor.
Career
Goz debuted in the 1956 Broadway production of ''Bajour'', co-starring Chita Rivera and Nancy Dussault. Goz played Tevye in th ...
. An attempt to persuade New York critics not to review this initial production (given its workshop status) failed, with
Frank Rich
Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO.
Rich is current ...
in ''The New York Times'', followed by other critics covering the production and filing mostly negative reviews. New Musicals folded after ''Spider Woman''.
Two years later, the producer
Garth Drabinsky
Garth Drabinsky (born 1949)Charlebois, Gaetan, and Anne NothofDrabinsky, Garth Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Athabasca University. Anne Nothof, ed. "Ontario-based entrepreneur, born in Toronto in 1949." is a Canadian film and theatrical producer a ...
became involved, and his company,
Livent
The Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, better known as Livent, was a theatre production company based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1989 by former Cineplex Odeon executives Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, the company initially found ...
, produced the show in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
at the
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Bluma Appel Theatre in June 1992. The cast starred
Brent Carver
Brent Carver (November 17, 1951 – August 4, 2020) was a Canadian actor best known internationally for performances in both London's West End and on Broadway in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' as Molina, for which he won the Tony Award for Best L ...
as Molina,
Anthony Crivello
Anthony Crivello (born August 2, 1955) is an American actor who has appeared in the original cast of several Broadway shows, including ''Les Misérables'', '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'', '' Golden Boy'', '' Marie Christine'', and '' The News''. ...
as Valentin and
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chic ...
as Spider Woman/Aurora. Vincent Paterson choreographed the production assisted by Kim Blank.
Keith McDaniel
Keith McDaniel (March 29, 1956, Chicago — January 2, 1995, Los Angeles) was an American dancer who was principal artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and on Broadway. He also appeared in music videos and on television and film.
Lif ...
served as the production's dance captain and lead dancer who was featured as a dance partner to Chita Rivera in the original staging.
''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' premiered in the
West End at the
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue.
History
The theatre was d ...
on October 20, 1992, where it ran for 390 performances. Directed by Harold Prince with choreography by
Vincent Paterson
Vincent Paterson (born May 4, 1950) is an American director and choreographer who has had an expansive career in many parts of the entertainment industry including film, Broadway, concert tours, opera, music videos, television and commercials. He ...
and co-choreography by
Rob Marshall
Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...
, it starred Brent Carver as Molina, Anthony Crivello as Valentin, and
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chic ...
as Spider Woman/Aurora. The production won the
Evening Standard Award
The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standar ...
for Best Musical.
It opened on Broadway at the
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for the Shubert brothers. The Bro ...
on May 3, 1993 and closed on July 1, 1995 after 904 performances. It was again directed by Harold Prince, with choreography by Vincent Paterson and Rob Marshall, scenic design and projection design by Jerome Sirlin, costume design by
Florence Klotz
Florence Klotz (October 28, 1920 – November 1, 2006) was an American costume designer on Broadway and on film.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, she graduated from Parsons School of Design, and went to work painting fabrics for Brooks C ...
, and lighting design by
Howell Binkley
Howell Binkley (July 25, 1956 – August 14, 2020) was a professional lighting designer in New York City. He received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Musical for ''Jersey Boys'' in 2006, and again in 2016 for ''Hamilton''. He died du ...
. The cast included Carver, Crivello and Rivera repeating their roles, as well as
Merle Louise and Kirsti Carnahan. Carver, Crivello and Rivera won
Tony Awards
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 cer ...
for their performances. Notable replacements included:
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...
(Valentin),
Howard McGillin
Howard McGillin (born November 5, 1953, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. He is known for his role of John Jasper in ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' and for portraying the role The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of ...
and
Jeff Hyslop
Jeff Hyslop ( ; born May 30, 1951) is a Canadians, Canadian actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. Many of his roles have been in musical theatre. His most famous roles were as Jeff the mannequin in the children's show ''Today's S ...
(Molina); and, as Aurora
María Conchita Alonso
María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1957), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a singer, actress and former beauty queen.
She has participated in film and television productions, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit ...
,
Vanessa L. Williams (in her Broadway debut) and
Carol Lawrence
Carol Lawrence (born Carolina Maria Laraia; September 5, 1932) is an American actress, appearing in musical theatre and on television. She is known for creating the role of Maria on Broadway in the musical ''West Side Story'' (1957), receiving ...
. The teaming of Williams, McGillin and Mitchell in June 1994 was so strong that many critics felt they were superior to the original cast (who had recorded the original cast album in London); in an unusual move producers recorded and released a second cast album featuring these principals.
The US regional theater premier took place at Masquerade Theatre in Houston, TX in May 1999. Directed and choreographed by Jim Williams, the show featured scenic and lighting design by Amy Ross and music direction by Brandon Matthews. The cast included Gina Nepoli-Holmes as Aurora, L. Jay Meyer as Molina, Pablo Bracho as Valentine, Monica Rial as Molina's Mother, Jacqui Williams as Marta, Tim Wroble as Gabriel, and Todd Porter as The Warden.
A 1996 touring version featured
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chic ...
again along with
Juan Chioran
Juan Chioran (born June 18, 1963) is an Argentine-born Canadian actor primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. He is based in Stratford, Ontario.
Chioran is also known for his voice acting roles, suc ...
as Molina and
Dorian Harewood
Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in ''The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003).
Ea ...
as Valentin.
It opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Lola Membrives Theatre on May 2, 1995.
It opened in São Paulo, Brasil, in 2000, with
Cláudia Raia
Maria Cláudia Motta Raia (born 23 December 1966) is a Brazilian actress, singer, dancer, and stage producer.
Biography
Raia was born in Campinas and was married to Edson Celulari from 1993 until 2010. They had two children: Enzo Celulari and So ...
and
Miguel Falabella
Miguel Falabella (born October 10, 1955, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian actor, presenter, screen writer, voice actor, film maker, theater actor, producer, writer and director. He is known, among many other works, for playing Caco Antibes in the ...
in the main roles.
Vortex Theatre Company
The Vortex Theater Company was founded in 1983 by playwright, director, and actor Robert Coles and was originally dedicated to the mission of presenting new works by emerging playwrights.
Sanford Meisner Theater
In 1984, the company built its perf ...
revived it off Broadway in New York City in 2007.
A reduced production with a cast of 7 opened at The Darlinghust Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 13 July 2010. Directed and choreographed by Stephen Colyer and music directed by Craig Renshaw, the cast included Alexis Fishman (Aurora/Marta), James Lee (Molina), Frank Hansen (Valentin), Jennifer White (Molina's Mother), Wayne McDaniel (The Warden), Jim Williams (Estabon/Gabriel), and Matt Young (Marcos/Aurelio).
Response
In his review of the Broadway production for ''The New York Times'', Frank Rich wrote that the musical "does not meet all the high goals it borrows from Manuel Puig's novel. When it falls short, it pushes into pretentious overdrive (a "Morphine Tango", if you please) and turns the serious business of police-state torture into show-biz kitsch every bit as vacuous as the B-movie cliches parodied in its celluloid fantasies. Yet the production does succeed not only in giving Ms. Rivera a glittering spotlight but also in using the elaborate machinery of a big Broadway musical to tell the story of an uncloseted, unhomogenized, unexceptional gay man who arrives at his own heroic definition of masculinity."
Awards and nominations
Original London production
Original Broadway production
Popular culture references
In 2020, an amateur production of the musical is the focus of "
Chapter Seven: Kiss of the Spider Woman" episode of ''
Katy Keene
Katy Keene is a character created by Bill Woggon that has appeared in several comic book series published by Archie Comics since 1945. She is a model/actress/singer marketed by the publisher as "America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions". In the bo ...
''.
The ''Katy Keene'' cast album of the musical was produced via
WaterTower Music
WaterTower Music (formerly New Line Records from 2000 to 2010) is an American record label serving as the in-house music label and run by entertainment company Warner Bros., ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The name and logo are based o ...
.
References
External links
*
Working in the Theatre: ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' panel discussion featuring the creators of the Broadway production
Look Back at ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' on Broadway(''Playbill'', May 3, 2019)
Vanessa Williams' Broadway Debut in ''Kiss of the Spider Woman''(''Playbill'', March 18, 2020)
{{Navboxes
, title = Awards for ''Kiss of the Spider Woman''
, list =
{{DramaDesk Musical 1975–2000
{{TonyAwardBestMusical 1976-2000
{{TonyAward MusicalBook 1976-2000
{{TonyAward MusicalScore 1976-2000
1992 musicals
Broadway musicals
West End musicals
Musicals based on novels
LGBT-related musicals
Musicals by Kander and Ebb
Musicals by Terrence McNally
Tony Award for Best Musical
Tony Award-winning musicals