Prepare to be allured by Theatre UCF this fall, as their production of Kiss of the Spider Woman is sure to cast you under their ever-talented spell.
Set in a torturous prison in Latin America, this biting musical expresses the art of survival as prisoners Molina and Valentin are placed in the same jail cell and learn the virtues of passion, fantasy, escapism and acceptance as the Spider Woman (Abby Jaros) tries to ease their pain with a kiss.
“As the Spider Woman, I am death,” Jaros said. “And it is my purpose to entertain, to see what can happen and how moods change.”
Director Mark Brotherton and his brilliant cast of 25 portray this story with poise as they encompass the eerie and dramatic with the simple and lovable.
Senior Musical Theatre major Kyle Wilkinson wows audiences with his captivating tenor voice and dynamic delivery as he portrays Molina, a gay prisoner convicted of “corrupting a minor.” While coping with his empty life, he is desperate to take care of his dying mother and reunite with his previous love interest Gabriel. He is essentially blackmailed by prison guards to gather political information from Valentin (Andrew Conners), even though Molina falls in love with the dreamer of revolution.
Molina escapes mindfully to his favorite movies as he fawns over his Aurora (Abby Jaros), an actress who both melts his heart and scares him half to death as she serenades him throughout the show as “the spider woman.”
This is a show of quick-witted one-liners and some of the most beautiful all-male harmonies one will ever hear. It is a show of many levels as we learn the vulnerabilities of humanity from the prisoners’ agony along with their power of imagination, all of this in “the best show Theatre UCF has ever done,” according to Joanie Ming, UCF Theatre senior and audience member.
From the exquisite set design of the prison and the perfectly-timed lighting and sound, UCF senior stage manager Andrew Carnero was dedicated to this production, as their week-long window of tech rehearsals was no feat in setting the intense, powerful atmosphere Abby Jaros and ensemble brought to the stage.
“We all need to escape once in a while, and I hope this show brings that to audiences. Kiss of the Spider Woman has such an intricate plot with stunning music, and I hope our production also brings awareness to the show itself,” Jaros adds.
Her performance, along with those of Valentin, the guards, and the ensemble, were nothing short of sensational in terms of powerhouse vocals and iconic character work– there is no question they all are Broadway material.
Not to mention the “killer” choreography by John Rudell, whose tireless research and production numbers incorporated his own signature style inspired by Bob Fosse and Latin ballroom dance. Simply exquisite.
Do not miss out on Kiss of the Spider Woman this fall season. Their talent will move you “over the wall.”
The show continues Thursday, Oct. 23, Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26 at the UCF Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at theatre.cah.ucf.edu.
