Penn State Centre Stage will present Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by Darcy Evans, music directed by Loclan McKenzie Spencer, and choreographed by J. Austin Eyer, April 3–7, at the Playhouse Theatre, University Park, PA.
The story of two very different men who occupy a prison cell in Brazil, the musical was a popular movie first, garnering an Academy Award for Best Actor, and nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. On Broadway it won the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Leading Actor and Actress, along with five more Tony Awards.
Kiss of the Spider Woman focuses on the story of Luis Alberto Molina, a homosexual window dresser, who lives in a fantasy world to escape his prison conditions. His fantasies turn mostly around movies, particularly around a vampy diva, Aurora. He loves her in all roles, but one scares him: That is the spider woman, who kills with her kiss.
Aurora is played by sophomore musical theatre major, Jessica Ortiz. Ortiz was last seen in Penn State Centre Stage’s production of Sweet Charity. Last summer, she worked at the Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, New York, and was featured in 42nd Street, All Shook Up, and Mary Poppins. Some of her most cherished roles include Sheila (A Chorus Line), Nancy (Oliver!), and Nina Rosario (In the Heights), presented by Pittsburgh Musical Theatre.
For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Tickets are available at Penn State Tickets Downtown, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center, or by calling (814) 863-0255 or (800) ARTS-TIX.