OSO FABULOSO AND THE BEAR BACKS! to be Presented at Joe's Pub for Pride

INTAR and Radio Drama Network announced today that Joe's Pub at the Public (425 Lafayette Street, NYC), will present a return Pride 2022 engagement of their musical, ¡Oso Fabuloso & The Bear Backs!

The original rock musical tells the story of a queer Lantine bear named Oso Fabuloso who has recently been dumped by a two-timing Daddy bear. In order to overcome his depression, Oso seeks the help of his therapist Dr. Calvo, who convinces him to use his gift of song to sing the blues away. Oso agrees to go on tour with his therapist/guitarist and his two best friends/backup singers, Gummy and Grizz, hoping it will cure him of his romantic woes!

¡Oso Fabuloso & The Bear Backs! debuted at INTAR Theatre last summer to great critical acclaim. The book and lyrics are by C. Julian Jiménez with music by P.K. Variance. INTAR has been producing Latino voices in English since 1966 and this season celebrates the artists and crew members of its last mainstage production, Bundle of Sticks by C. Julian Jiménez, before COVID-19 forced the closure of their theater space. It also played an engagement at The McKittrick Hotel, home of Sleep No More in Chelsea.

The cast includes C. Julian Jiménez as Oso, Joseph Distl as Grizz, Vasileos Leon as Gummy, and P.K. Variance as Dr. Calvo. Musical direction and guitar are by P.K. Variance with Robert Cowie on keyboards, Ray Rizzo on drums and Jesse Sklar on bass. Set and costume design is by Timmy Schues with sound and lighting design by Alberto Ruiz.

The show will be presented at a 9:30 pm performance on June 22, 2022. Tickets are priced at $25.00. There is a 2 drink or $12 food minimum per person, during every show at Joe's Pub. For information and tickets go to www.publictheatre.org.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

C. JULIAN JIMÉNEZ is a Queer, Puerto Rican, and Dominican playwright who holds an MFA from The New School for Drama. Playwrighting awards include: New Dramatist Residency (Class of 2025), 2019/2020 Rita Goldberg Playwrights' Workshop Fellow at The Lark, 2017 & 2018 Pipeline Theatre Company PlayLab, 2018 LaGuardia Community College's LGBTQ History Project Grant, 2015 Queen Arts Council Grant and the 2009 Public Theater Emerging Writers Group. Productions include Man Boobs (Pride Films & Plays, 2011), Nico Was a Fashion Model (Counter-Productions, (2013), Animals Commit Suicide (First Floor Theater, 2015), Locusts Have No King (INTAR, 2016), Bundle of Sticks (INTAR, 2020) and Alligator Mouth, Tadpole Ass (Theatre Rhinoceros, 2020). He wrote the book for LatinXoxo at Joe's Pub and Lincoln Center. Other plays include Julio Down by The Schoolyard and Bruise & Thorn. HE is co-producer of the hit web series, "Bulk" and is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Queensborough Community College.

P.K. VARIANCE is a musician, composer, filmmaker, and artist. Past public contributions include music and various video projects for modern dance companies in NYC. Currently celebrating the return of Oso y Calvo. Original compositions can be seen and heard at PKVariance Arts on YouTube.

ABOUT INTAR

INTAR: International Arts Relations, Inc., one of the United States' longest running Latino theater producing in English, is an organization committed to the development of "theater arts without borders." Over the past four decades, INTAR has produced classics, Latino adaptations of classics, cabarets, and 70 world premieres of plays written by Latino-Americans, including 2005 Oscar nominee José Rivera and Pulitzer Prize recipient Nilo Cruz.

INTAR works to nurture the professional development of Latino theater artists; produce bold, innovative, artistically significant plays that reflect diverse perspectives; and make accessible the diversity inherent in America's cultural heritage.

To date, the theatre has commissioned, developed, and produced works by more than 175 Latino writers, composers, and choreographers. It has assisted hundreds of Latino playwrights, directors, and actors in obtaining their first professional theater credits, union memberships, and reviews in English-language media.

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