Kiss Of The Spiderwoman?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 1:18pm

What went wrong?

[Sant]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 1:33pm

What do you mean?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 1:34pm

Why did it close and can anyone give more info, because I just discovered the show and love it.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 1:54pm

It closed after a more than respectable run and was in no ways a flop, earning multiple Tonys to boot. The catalyst for the close was not being able to find a star for the title role after both Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams brought incredible presence to it. Maria Conchita Alsonso simply didn't seem "big" enough.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 1:56pm

The only thing that went "wrong" with it is that it lost money (as do so many shows that try something different).

The original production won for Best Musical, Best Actress (Chita), Best Actor (Brent Carver), Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Crivello), Best Book and Best Score. I'm not sure if it won them or not, but it was also nominated for Best Director, Choreography, Sets, Lighting and Costumes. (It was up against "Tommy", which I know won for Choreography and actually shared the Tony for Best Score.)

When Chita left to do the national tour, Vanessa Williams took over, got excellent reviews and geve the box office an extra boost.

It basically closed when Vanessa Williams left. Instead of going with a box-office name (I believe Raquel Welch was mentioned.), Hal Prince decided to cast Maria Conchita Alonzo in the part. As Vanessa's presence brought a good many Blacks to see the show (which they might not have if she hadn't been in it), he hoped that Maria would do the same with the Hispanic community.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 2:39pm

Yes, Vanessa was signed to star in the show for 3 months and then renewed her contract twice(since Williams' run in the show was always about a 20% higher compared to the OBC)
She then, had to record her CD "The Sweetest Days" while starring in the show, because she was previously commited to her record label to release an album.
I think that Kiss of the Spider Woman is the best musical that has ever existed.

Updated On: 3/20/07 at 02:39 PM

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 4:33pm

I saw Vanessa in this show and she was quite good. They made her up and lit her in such a way that she almost looked like she was glowing compared to everyone else on stage.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 4:42pm

It was an AMAZING show. It had me interested the whole time. I would love to see it again. I saw it twice with both Chita and Vanessa and dare i say it.....I liked Vanessa Better!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 4:44pm

It was a terribly mediocre show.

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 4:53pm

Vanessa definitely had a "smoother" sound (did I just quote 'Dreamgirls' there?) which was very sultry and seductive, where Chita had that smoky rasp thing going on (not saying one is better than the other, just...different). Vanessa more than held her own in the dancing. I didn't see Chita, but I'm sure she kicked booty in that department!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 4:55pm

Vanessa Williams during her run (July 1994):




Maria Conchita Alonso (from Spring 1995):

[maybethistime]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 5:33pm

I LOVE this recording SO MUCH and Chita looked fierce on the Tony performance (which I watch often on that site). I would die to see a full-blown prodution, although I guess no one could do it as well as Chita. And, compared to Curtains, it's still amazing Kander'n'Ebb!

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 5:41pm

That picture of Vanessa coming out of the giant cage is stunning.

Minneapolis Musical Theatre is doing a production of the show this summer.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 5:58pm

I still think that the role was perfect for...

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 6:03pm

Love the recirding... should be revived...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 6:20pm

Is the 2nd to last picture Vanessa?

And, if Liza was younger and skinnier, she would be amazing for the role.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 7:08pm

It ran about 1000 performances didn't it? It also kinda put Livent on the map (of course we know what happened there)--interesting how it opened in toronto, went to London and then Broadway...

I saw the tour in Vancouver with Chita when I was 12 and it blew me away. I actually went with my grandma who was visiting and she took me as a surprise--she was never too intereste din modern musicals but adored Chita--I was kinda shocked at the subject matter (yeah I was actually pretty clueless what the show was gonna be about) but we both loved it and it's really stayed with me--a gorgeous production and the tour had an amazing cast. I think a few things in the show still don't quite work--but it was so good on stage overall that they didn't matter. I wish I could see it again now that i'm older.

E

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 7:16pm

HELL NO! That 2nd photo (above Liza) is NOT Vanessa Williams! It is Valeria Lynch, who starred in the Spanish-language production in Argentina. The person who posted that photo should have mentioned that.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 7:21pm

One thign I was never sure about was it had two choreographers--Vincent Patterson (sp?) who I don't think did any other Broadway but was Madonna's choreographer for her Blond Ambition tour and some music videos (and I'm sure lotsa other stuff) and Rob Marshall--who did what and why were there two?

It's neat to see Kiss as sorta a bookend of the Hal Prince conept musicals which started with Kander and Ebb (Cabaret and Zorba) and then went to the great Sondheim shows, etc and then returned to K&E. (as big a fan of K&E as I am they seem to really need a strong director's vision for a strong show--i think their three shows with Prince and of course Chicago with Fosse are much stronger shows than nearly anything else they've done with the arguable exception of parts of The Rink).

And Terrence McNally deserves props too for his libretto...

[wickedfan]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 7:30pm

In response to the two choreographers, I have never seen the show (except for the Tony performance which is nothing short of beautiful). But I do know that Marshall was in charge of choreographing all of the fantasy sequences-meaning all of the numbers that Aurora is in. Patterson did any other dancing involved that was in the "reality based" world. Don't know how much of that there was, as I stated I never saw the production but it seems like a pretty unfair balance of work.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 7:33pm

I love both recordings of the show and it has always been a dream of mine to see a revival. But, I was pretty satisfied by seeing Chita do the title song in her one woman show, it was an unbelievable transformation. I think that Valarie Pettiford would be perfect for a revival, she's got the looks, voice and especially the dance skills.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 8:37pm

"HELL NO! That 2nd photo (above Liza) is NOT Vanessa Williams! It is Valeria Lynch, who starred in the Spanish-language production in Argentina. The person who posted that photo should have mentioned that"

Oh honey, what I should, or shouldn't do, is my choice.
But indeed, good research, it is Valeria Lynch who was fabulous and Harold Prince travelled to Buenos Aires to direct her in it.
And I forgot to add her name, since Im sleepy and I've had a hectic day and I've been studying non-stop.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 9:32pm

"In response to the two choreographers, I have never seen the show (except for the Tony performance which is nothing short of beautiful). But I do know that Marshall was in charge of choreographing all of the fantasy sequences-meaning all of the numbers that Aurora is in. Patterson did any other dancing involved that was in the "reality based" world. Don't know how much of that there was, as I stated I never saw the production but it seems like a pretty unfair balance of work."

I'm not doubting you but I wonder then why Patterson gets main creidt with Marshall as "additional" (or for Aurora sequences in some parts)--i always wondered if he did the sorta crossover/limbo stuff like Where You Are (which looks honestly liek stuff from the Madonna Blonde Ambition tour--and I mean that in a good way) and Marshall did the full blown fantasy moments like the Russian fantasy, etc...

I'd love to hear more about the infamous "disaster" workshop that almost shut the show down for good until Livent brought it back and worked on it--I knwo that the fantasy sequences were much more campy with full chorus girls etc...

ibdb lists the choreography credits as: Directed by Harold Prince; Choreographed by Vincent Paterson; Additional choreography by Rob Marshall; Assistant Choreographer for Mr. Paterson: Kim Blank; Assistant Choreographer for Mr. Marshall: Kathleen Marshall

Also interesting, because I found the visuals pretty great, that set designer Jerome Sirlin never had another Broadway credit

(oh and I looked it up--it ran 904 performances--not great for a fairly big show but by no means bad especially for such challenging material--I mean that's longer than all but one Sondheim show ran... and is more performances than the Livent propduction of Ragtime which, having seen both, I suspect cost quite a bit more to run)

[C is for Company]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 10:03pm

I was about to say Aurora achieves some of those Madonna treatments, but "Where You Are" is one of the most entertaining dances in any musical. My favorite in the show overall though.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 10:26pm

I'd say that Patterson is credited with the Choreography and Rob Marshall with Additional Choreography more through the work of lawyers involved. The dances were lacking in oomph in Toronto and Chita had them bring in Marshall as he had choreographed for her nightclub act before.

And as "Where You Are" was put in the show when he came on board, I would guess that is where most of his work shows.

And I'm guessing that the act one finale "Gimme Love" is Patterson's work. When I saw Chita in the national tour, I thought the dancing in "Gimme Love" was something of a disappointment.