Blankenbuehler-helmed KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN in the works?- Page 4

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:05pm

Yeah I just think for a revival to be successful it needs a gimmick/point of view instead of just being a well done version of a show we know. 

We’ve already seen him put choreography into every possible moment in Bandstand, so I’d hope he’s step back and really see what the show wants 

[Nicticorax]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:18pm

Very good points! I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

My main fear for this production is that it's going to try to open the same season as the Cabaret transfer, and just be absolutely forgotten in the wake of all the star-power and name recognition of Cabaret. As I said in another thread, Cabaret is perhaps my favorite musical, but I worry it will absolutely eclipse Spider Woman (which, I would argue, is a more ambitious show in certain ways).

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:34pm

I've never seen Spider Woman, so that peaks my interest. I love Cabaret, but to me how many different ways can you really do that show? I'd still see the revival, but this show is the more interesting, daring choice. But hey, 2 Kander and Ebb shows on Broadway. I'll take it. But that's why this one has to be some talked about show to survive. It can't just be good.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:37pm

RippedMan said: "I've never seen Spider Woman, so that peaks my interest. I love Cabaret, but to me how many different ways can you really do that show? I'd still see the revival, but this show is the more interesting, daring choice. But hey, 2 Kander and Ebb shows on Broadway. I'll take it. But that's why this one has to be some talked about show to survive. It can't just be good."

Could be 4 Kander/Ebb shows running simultaneously, assuming both of these shows transfer, Chicago is still running, and New York, New York survives (unlikely, though).

[inception]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:49pm

If this Cabaret needs an overhaul of a theatre, it won't open until Spring.  Spiderwoman could open in Fall to avoid a clash.  I don't know if Debose is enough of a draw, especially since Aurora shows up just occasionally, as a fantasy, and the central plot depends upon the two male leads. In my opinion Molina would need to be a star performer, just as much as Aurora.  I don't know if Wilson Jermaine Heredia is still a big enough star?  Rent was a long time ago.

[Nicticorax]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 4:59pm

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but Fall and Spring would still have them competing for the same season in terms of Tony awards? The cutoff this year was late April. (EDIT: I realize June is the end of Spring, but I just find it unlikely Cabaret would open so early in the season, as shows that open right after the Tony awards risk being forgotten about for the next season)
I do think it will need more than one name to be financially successful, although I'm not sure I agree Aurora only appears "occasionally". She's onstage quite a bit and gets the show's biggest, flashiest numbers. I would envision this being more of a limited run in the vein of Parade or Into the Woods, though, and gaining critical acclaim as opposed to trying to be a financial blockbuster.

Updated On: 7/5/23 at 04:59 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 11:04am

If this does happen I really hope they recreate Jerome Sirlin's stunning original set design. They were perfection.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 11:22am

inception said: "I don't know ifWilson Jermaine Heredia is still a big enough star? Rent was a long time ago."

I don't think his name would sell many tickets these days and he's also about 20 years too old for the role.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 11:48am

Molina and Valentin are already cast. Two latino actors who are theater names, but not A-List "Star" names. DeBose is the star casting.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 11:49am

Molina is Robin De Jesus.

I don't remember who Valentin is.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 12:02pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Molina is Robin De Jesus.

I don't remember who Valentin is."

I want to say Javier Munoz, but I'm not 100% sure. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 1:01pm

Oof. If it’s Munoz, hard pass. De Jesus is a bit too on the nose, but not against it. 
 

 

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:01pm

de Jesus is PERFECT casting. I'm sure Munoz would be good, but Valentin could be a great role for Josh Segarra to return to theatre in!

[CasualObserver]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:02pm

I can't shake the feeling that Wilson Cruz will somehow be involved. He presented a major award at the Tonys this year, and he hasn't been on Broadway in a bit, so it felt a lot like Lea Michele at last years Tonys.

A tease before an announcement.....

[Nicticorax]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:21pm

I don't really have an issue with those casting rumors, except that they're disappointingly conventional. I'm with the couple people who mentioned they'd like to see Mason Alexander Park as Molina (although they're too young). The novel makes it fairly clear that Molina is not cisgender (although how they'd identify today is ambiguous), which is a topic that both the film and musical weren't really able/willing to address. But I think the musical could support that reading ("She's A Woman" is already extremely trans coded). If they wanted a new angle on the material that would justify a revival, that could be a way to go about it.

Slightly unrelated, but how much of a done deal is it that this workshop with this rumored cast is coming to Broadway? It seems like people on this thread went very quickly from "I'll believe it when I see it" to talking about this as if it's imminent and a sure thing. 

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:19pm

The three leads are a done deal. 

[Nicticorax]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:25pm

Understood, but is it a done deal that this workshop is coming to Broadway, or just that it would come with this cast if it did?

[Tag]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:33pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "DeBose is the star casting."

LOL
Her agent wishes.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 4:07pm

Nicticorax said: "I don't really have an issue with those casting rumors, except that they're disappointingly conventional. I'm with the couple people who mentioned they'd like to see Mason Alexander Park as Molina (although they're too young). The novel makes it fairly clear that Molina is not cisgender (although how they'd identify today is ambiguous), which is a topic that both the film and musical weren't really able/willing to address. But I think the musical could support that reading ("She's A Woman" is already extremely trans coded). If they wanted a new angle on the material that would justify a revival, that could be a way to go about it.

 

Yes, although the play takes place in a time when being gay and gender-non-conforming were typically conflated, and “non-binary” wasn’t really in our lexicon yet. Casting Molina with a GNC/non-binary actor wouldn’t necessarily be more authentic, as Molina wouldn’t think of himself that way.

On a related note, I’ve always interpreted “She’s a Woman” as being more specifically about being a beautiful woman - with the power and adoration that comes with that, as well as being what Molina would have to be for Valentin to return his feelings.

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 4:14pm

It’s similar to Truman Capote begging to become a woman as a child in one of his autobiographical works. Was that just his way of processing queerness, or would he have rejected masculinity in favor of a more fluid identity if he’d had the vocabulary and the framework in his day?

[Voter]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 4:43pm

Nicticorax said: "Understood, but is it a done deal that this workshop is coming to Broadway, or just that it would come with this cast if it did?"

With a cast of this caliber, and the cancellation of the Kennedy Center production, everything is aligning to expect a Broadway revival within the next... idk 2 years?

[Nicticorax]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 5:01pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Yes, although the play takes place in a time when being gay and gender-non-conforming were typically conflated, and “non-binary” wasn’t really in our lexicon yet. Casting Molina with a GNC/non-binary actor wouldn’t necessarily be more authentic, as Molina wouldn’t think of himself that way."

I'd like to push back on the idea that Molina doesn't think of himself that way. In the musical, I agree that he doesn't: he's written as a gay man. I also think your reading of "She's A Woman" is the intended reading (I simply suggest that it's also open to a trans reading). However, the novel is a different story.

Molina pointedly states that he and his friends are a different type of homosexual:
"...there's the other kind [of homosexual] who fall in love with one another. But as for my friends and myself, we're a hundred percent female. We don't go in for those little games--that's strictly for homos. We're normal women; we sleep with men."
Molina also repeatedly corrects Valentin when he calls Molina a man, such as:
"Molina: Want me to go on with the film?
Valentin: Sure, man.
Molina: Man? Where's a man? Don't let him go."

Is it accurate to say Molina is nonbinary, genderqueer, or a trans woman? No, because Molina never specifies his identity, and projecting modern identities onto people is often reductive. However, I'd say it is clear the character in the novel does not fit neatly within the gender binary. I actually recently read a dissertation discussing the character's gender, so this isn't a completely fringe reading of the text. Even the wikipedia page for the novel is listed under "novels with transgender themes".

Now, all of this applies to the novel, and the musical is a different beast. I'm simply saying that it would be interesting to explore some of the complexities of the character's identity in a revival of the show. Casting an actor who is not a cis man could, I think, highlight a layer of the character that wasn't able to be explored in the 90s. It would also speak to our current sociopolitical landscape in a way that would make the show feel vital, and also feel like a fresh take instead of a retread.
 

Updated On: 7/6/23 at 05:01 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 8:53pm

Voter said: "Nicticorax said: "Understood, but is it a done deal that this workshop is coming to Broadway, or just that it would come with this cast if it did?"

With a cast of this caliber, and the cancellation of the Kennedy Center production, everything is aligning to expect a Broadway revival within the next... idk 2 years?"

As for this season, Kiss from what I'm hearing is still toying by end of the year or later spring after Cabaret opens, Cabaret and Chess are all planned for after the new year is what I'm hearing from my industry friends.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 11:25pm

Thanks, Nicticorax. Although I’ve been in the musical version (not as Molina) and know it well, I’ve only ever skimmed the novel/play. You’re right - that sounds pretty genderqueer! 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 9/1/23 at 3:47pm

Any updates on this?