Boho Theatre Explores Fantasy and Reality in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, Now thru 6/30

BoHo Theatre will present the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally, based on the novel by Manuel Puig, as the final production in its 2012/2013 season. The production will run tonight, May 31st through June 30th at Theater Wit in Lakeview. Kiss of the Spider Woman is directed by BoHo Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan, director of such previous BoHo hits as Floyd Collins and Big River. The production features Nathan Carroll as Molina, Evan Tyrone Martin as Valentin, and Jennifer Grubb as Aurora the Spider Woman. Kiss of the Spider Woman represents the Bohemian Pillar of Love.

Condemned to a brutal Latin American prison for the crime of homosexuality, Luis Molina has learned to escape the humiliation and torture of his surroundings with an elaborate fantasy world. His fantasies recall the glamorous diva Aurora from the movies of his youth. But his ability to escape reality is tested by his new cellmate, a Marxist revolutionary named Valentin. For despite falling in love with Valentin, Molina has been co-opted by the prison warden and the secret police to get information out of his cellmate in exchange for early parole. Can Molina's fantastical tales of Aurora and her Spider Woman character help him navigate the dangerous events of the real world?

Kiss of the Spider Woman won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score when it debuted on Broadway, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical. A harrowing tale of torture and political oppression, this musical nonetheless embraces hope and the beauty of love.

Kiss of the Spider Woman will be presented "in the round" in Theater Wit's intimate Theater 3 space, bringing a unique sense of immediacy and realism to the story. The production will feature an immersive set by BoHo Artistic Affiliate Patrick Ham that will bring to life the squalor of the prison by surrounding both the actors and the audience. "For me, the concept of reality versus fantasy is very important in this show," says director Peter Marston Sullivan. "How do we change our own surroundings based on our imaginations and the things we love?"

To convey this vision, Sullivan has assembled an impressive ensemble of artists for this production. Nathan Carroll and Evan Tyrone Martin have previously been seen in BoHo's smash hit Floyd Collins, while Jennifer Grubb, recently seen in Diamate Productions' Cold Cold Feet and Light Opera Works' The Secret Garden, won raves in BoHo's production of Bernarda Alba. Elizabeth Doran, whose work includes Court Theatre's Porgy and Bess, will provide music direction, and the elaborate fantasy dance sequences will be choreographed by Linda Fortunato, whose work has been featured at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Marriott Theatre, and Theatre at the Center. BoHo's Associate Artistic Director Peter Robel, who is Associate Director of the production, will help bring to life Molina's intense fantasies through extensive research on the aesthetic and experience of 1940s noir cinema. "Bringing together artists of this caliber and giving them a supportive environment to produce art is what BoHo is all about," remarks Sullivan. "This show is going to be something special."

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN will run tonight, May 31 - June 30, 2013 at Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave, Chicago. Press Opening / Opening Nights: Saturday, June 1, at 8 pm; Preview: May 31 at 8pm; Performance run: June 2 - June 30, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are available now online at www.BoHoTheatre.com or the Theater Wit box office at (773) 975-8150. Tickets: $25-27, discounts available for seniors and students.

BIOS:

Peter Marston Sullivan (Director)
Peter is the proud Artistic Director of BoHo Theatre and has worked for the Marriott Theatre for over seven years in various capacities, including his current position of Artistic Associate. Peter earned a BA in Theatre and an MA in Teaching at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and an MFA in Directing at Illinois State University. Recent directing projects include Floyd Collins, Pippin, Big River (Jeff Award-nominations for Best Production (Musical) and Best Director), Icarus, I Am My Own Wife (co-director), Ghosts, Playing with Fire, and M. Butterfly at BoHo; Black Comedy at Piccolo Theatre, Monster Garden at the Gorilla Tango Theatre, and Cry Havoc at Bailiwick.

Elizabeth Doran (Musical Director)
Elizabeth Doran is a Chicago musical director whose credits include Grand Night for Singing (Mercury Theater), The Gifts of the Magi and A Catered Affair (Porchlight Music Theatre), Some Enchanted Evening (Theo Ubique/Fox Valley Rep), Porgy and Bess (Court Theatre), and The Addams Family (Chicago). She is set to musical direct the Chicago premiere of Juno at Timeline Theatre in its 2013/14 season. Doran is a graduate of Northwestern University. Linda Fortunata (Choreographer)

Choreography credits include Curtains at Drury Lane Oakbrook; Married Alive and Into the Woods at Marriott Theatre; 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls, Crazy for You (Jeff Nomination), It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, and Fiddler on the Roof at Theatre at the Center; Fiorello! at TimeLine Theatre; Chicago, A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, and Cabaret at Peninsula Players; and for Writers' Theatre, Provision Theatre, New Tuners, Remy Bumppo, and several Chicago-area schools. Directing credits include Peninsula Players, Riverfront Theatre in Rockford, IL, and several shows at Columbia College. Linda also teaches in the theatre department at Columbia College Chicago.

BoHo Theatre structures each of its seasons around the four pillars or Bohemian philosophy: Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love. BoHo's 2012/2013 season features: The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley (Freedom) at the Heartland Studio, Pygmalion by George Bernard Show (Beauty) in partnership with Stage Left Theatre at Theater Wit, Hauptmann by John Logan (Truth) at the Heartland Studio, and Kiss of the Spider Woman by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally (Love) at Theater Wit.

BoHo Theatre seeks to challenge convention through literary originality and eclectic expression while fostering an ever-evolving artistic environment in which people are inspired to learn, think, dream, and feel; to teach others and ourselves how to expand, create, and present art through theatre while reveling not only in the process, but also in the journey.