THEY CALL ME CUBAN PETE Returns to Don't Tell Mama By Popular Demand
The musical revue celebrates the personal and professional life of Desi Arnaz.
They Call Me Cuban Pete, The Music and Genius of Desi Arnaz musical revue celebrating the personal and professional life of Desi Arnaz returns to Don't Tell Mama 343 West 46th Street, June 20th at 7 pm, Doors open at 6:45 pm.
After a standing ovation and a packed house for the performance of "They Call Me Cuban Pete, The Music and Genius of Desi Arnaz '' by Danny Bolero. The show makes a return to Don't Tell Mama on June 20th with Bolero's musical review of the life of Arnaz.
Last April audiences were left emotionally uplifted by Bolero's performance that had them crying, laughing and shouting for more. Directed by Madeline McCray, with musical direction by Drew Wutke, Bolero talks about Arnaz's rise in the entertainment industry. From the point of view of Arnaz, Bolero sets the stage from a club Arnaz performed, now marked for destruction. He reminisces about his life and how he was able to not only star in his own show that remains a main staple of American culture today, but also change the way television shows are directed and produced. It's a production Bolero has dreamed of doing for decades, "I've had this idea for about twenty years, and here and there I would write it." In a little over an hour, Bolero takes us on a journey of what Arnaz experienced in his life -- from the Arnaz family losing everything in the 1933 Cuban revolution to his musical career, to Broadway, then meeting Lucille Ball and making it in Hollywood. Bolero captures the challenges Arnaz faced singing his songs that made him famous including the endearing "I Love Lucy" theme song.
"They Call Me Cuban Pete" took off when Bolero received a $5000 City Artists Corps grant to do a reading of the play. The grant allowed him to write and develop it. Bolero wrote it because "I wanted people to see how he was discriminated against because he was Cuban. But, more importantly, I don't believe he received the recognition for all that he accomplished in his life." Bolero talks about the obstacles Arnaz faced as a Latino actor with movie moguls like Louis B. Mayer and collaborations with I LOVE LUCY writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer.
Unless you have read Arnaz's autobiography, these are facts that are missed in the mainstream coverage of the couple. Nevertheless, these are items of interest to those who want to know the man who was such an innovator in television, changing the way sitcoms are filmed and shows are produced at the beginning of television and into the 60s. But it is also the spirit and tenacity that Bolero is great at capturing of the late Arnaz where he quotes him in the musical review saying, "It seemed like whenever I took a chance, it usually worked out and set me on a different path. A better path."
Danny Bolero currently performs in Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite" with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, which runs through July 2022. He has been in numerous plays on and off-Broadway, including The Public Theater's production of "Miss You Like Hell." In addition, he can be heard as the voice of Abuelo in the PBS Kids animated series, "Alma's Way." Bolero made his Broadway debut in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's 93 revival of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' and appeared in Broadway's "In the Heights."
Bolero's "They Call Me Cuban Pete, The Music and Genius of Desi Arnaz" will return on June 20th at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th Street, doors open at 6:45 pm for a 7:00 pm show. The entrance fee is $25.00 with a two-drink minimum. RSVP at https://donttellmamanyc.com/shows
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