Go Behind The Scenes of the RITCHIE VALENS MUSICAL With Seattle Rep's Final 'Plays in Process' Program
This story follows the life of a pioneer in Latin rock music, but takes a turn imagining the infamous plane crash — later called The Day The Music Died — never happened.
Seattle Rep's virtual Plays in Process series will come to a close with an early glimpse at the creative process behind the all-new Ritchie Valens Musical. Featuring music written by Louie Pérez and David Hidalgo, members of the Grammy Award-winning American rock band Los Lobos, this story follows the life of a pioneer in Latin rock music, but takes a turn imagining the infamous plane crash - later called "The Day The Music Died" - never happened. Seattle Rep's Plays in Process will take audiences behind the scenes showcasing early stages of show development, featuring commentary from its creators as well as two musical performances from Louie Pérez and David Hidalgo. Single tickets for Ritchie Valens Musical are available now and can be purchased at SeattleRep.org.
In 1958, Richard Steven Valenzuela, a teenager from the San Fernando Valley, went from obscurity to celebrity overnight. Within weeks of being discovered fronting his band at a high school dance party, he became rockstar and teen idol Ritchie Valens. And then on February 3, 1959, Valens and music icons Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson tragically perished in a plane crash while on tour-later called "The Day the Music Died."
"One of the most interesting aspects of Ritchie's story is that he skyrocketed to fame and sadly passed away all in under one year - so his music catalog is relatively small," Braden Abraham, Seattle Rep artistic director said. "But in that short period of time, he set the stage for other Mexican-American performers, much like Los Lobos, to come after him - he showed people that his success was possible and that's just one part of what makes this project and this story so special."
This Plays in Process installment will feature four incredible artists including librettest Octavio Solis (Quixote Nuevo, Mother Road, Hole in the Sky), director Tony Taccone (former Berkley Rep Artistic Director; co-wrote the new musical Kiss My Aztec with John Leguizamo), as well as musicians and lyricists David Hidalgo and Louis Pérez (founding members of Los Lobos and the musicians behind the 1987 film La Bamba) in a conversation moderated by Seattle Rep Artistic Director Braden Abraham. In addition to performances of music written for the show, creators will share with audiences why Ritchie Valens was chosen as the subject for this musical - what he means to them as artists and how the imaginary world the story takes place within came to be the concept for this musical.
A single ticket to the Plays in Process presentation of Ritchie Valens Musical is available now for the suggested price of $20. Reservations are required for these events and pay-what-you-choose options are available. Purchase your ticket today at SeattleRep.org.
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