2008 Woodie Awards
Spider Woman weaves deadly web of intrigue
SpeakEasy Stage Company presents political play about bonding of two inmates
Carey Purcell
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Kiss of the Spider Woman is a delicate, beautiful and dangerous web. It draws you in and traps you, unwilling to release its prey.
Based on a novel by Manuel Puig, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the story of two cellmates in a Spanish jail. It is currently being performed at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). The play tells the tale of Molina (John King), a homosexual window dresser jailed for molesting a minor, and Valentin (Brendan McNab), a political activist under arrest for helping revolutionaries. Molina is flamboyant and feminine, whereas Valentin is stoic and reserved. Since they are complete opposites, they clash immediately, resulting in Valentin drawing a line down the middle of the cell and forbidding Molina to cross it.
The rift with his cellmate leaves Molina with plenty of time to think. Since childhood, Molina has been fascinated with the cinema and is a devoted fan of one movie star in particular, Aurora (Christine A. Maglione). He has seen every film that she has been in and can recite the details of each from memory. This escapism is how he survives the conditions of the prison, which are cruel and degrading. The guards openly taunt the two men, physically and mentally abusing them.
As Molina tells Valentin, he loves every one of Aurora's movies except one in which she played a spider woman who could kill people with her kiss. He begins describing her movies to Valentin, and Aurora enters the stage, performing alongside his narration. Aurora is swept through scenes of love, adventure and peril.
Originally played on Broadway by Chita Rivera and then taken over by Vanessa Williams, the role of Aurora is strenuous and demanding, and Maglione rises to the challenge brilliantly. Draped in sparkling costumes and accompanied by a quartet of young men, she sings and dances her way through routines reminiscent of shows from long ago. She also climbs the cages onstage, hanging from them and beckoning men to kiss her. As Aurora, Maglione is a lethal seductress and she loves every minute of it.
Based on a novel by Manuel Puig, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the story of two cellmates in a Spanish jail. It is currently being performed at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). The play tells the tale of Molina (John King), a homosexual window dresser jailed for molesting a minor, and Valentin (Brendan McNab), a political activist under arrest for helping revolutionaries. Molina is flamboyant and feminine, whereas Valentin is stoic and reserved. Since they are complete opposites, they clash immediately, resulting in Valentin drawing a line down the middle of the cell and forbidding Molina to cross it.
The rift with his cellmate leaves Molina with plenty of time to think. Since childhood, Molina has been fascinated with the cinema and is a devoted fan of one movie star in particular, Aurora (Christine A. Maglione). He has seen every film that she has been in and can recite the details of each from memory. This escapism is how he survives the conditions of the prison, which are cruel and degrading. The guards openly taunt the two men, physically and mentally abusing them.
As Molina tells Valentin, he loves every one of Aurora's movies except one in which she played a spider woman who could kill people with her kiss. He begins describing her movies to Valentin, and Aurora enters the stage, performing alongside his narration. Aurora is swept through scenes of love, adventure and peril.
Originally played on Broadway by Chita Rivera and then taken over by Vanessa Williams, the role of Aurora is strenuous and demanding, and Maglione rises to the challenge brilliantly. Draped in sparkling costumes and accompanied by a quartet of young men, she sings and dances her way through routines reminiscent of shows from long ago. She also climbs the cages onstage, hanging from them and beckoning men to kiss her. As Aurora, Maglione is a lethal seductress and she loves every minute of it.
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