BECOMING CHAVELA to Play Teatro Latea in October
Stephanie Trudeau stars in the docu-cabaret directed by Leonard Peters and choreographed by Ana Leon Bella.
For three nights only, Stephanie Trudeau's BECOMING CHAVELA, the first ranchera musical celebrating the life, music, and legacy of legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, an iconic voice whose artistry and unforgettable presence continue to inspire generations, will play at Teatro Latea (107 Suffolk St., New York, NY 10002) choreographed by Ana Leon Bella, and directed by Leonard Peters. Performances are Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 24 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m.
Pedro Almodóvar called Chavela Vargas 'a volcano.' She was a Costa Rican immigrant who dared to sing ranchera, the Mexican country music that was supposed to belong to men, and she became one of Mexico's greatest voices. She fought alcoholism, disappeared from the stage for years, and then came back. BECOMING CHAVELA tells that story through songs of lust and longing and through her friendships with Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Elizabeth Taylor, and Almodóvar himself.
The show is set in mid-century Mexico City, back when the city was the center of Latin American culture. Chavela was well ahead of her time, and her story takes on gender, gay rights, immigration, and Mexican culture without ever feeling like a lecture.
Trudeau plays both Chavela and herself. The play starts with her own family: a Puerto Rican mother who arrived in New York as a little girl, and a Bronx childhood full of Spanish, Puerto Rican food, and Latin music. That music is what led her to Chavela. 'I'm Puerto Rican, but I feel this Mexican singer in my bones,' says Trudeau. The production mixes ranchera classics, Caribbean songs, and Trudeau's own original songs with dance and multimedia, and it moves between English and Spanish.
Becoming Chavela began as a cabaret that won the 2020 NYC Bistro Award. Since then it has played the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New York City, Los Angeles and Florida, and it was performed in Spanish in Guadalajara, Mexico. After Teatro Latea, the show heads to the Bronx Music Hall on March 6 and to Lima, Peru on April 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18.
The production stars Stephanie Trudeau* (Law & Order) as Chavela Vargas with Ana Leon Bella (Accredited Dancer) as Frida/Macorina, Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes as Diego/Pedro/Jose Alfredo, and Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
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