'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Begins Signature's Kander & Ebb C

Signature Theatre kicks off its four-month Kander & Ebb Celebration on March 11 with the Tony Award-winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.

The tale of two persecuted men — a window dresser and a socialist rebel — who come to share a prison cell, the horror of torture, and the escape of movie fantasies, Kiss of the Spider Woman stars Broadway actors Will Chase as the radical Valentin, Natascia Diaz as the mysterious Spider Woman/Aurora, and Hunter Foster as the gay, movie-obsessed prisoner Molina.  The creative team for the new production is Signature Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, Signature music director Jon Kalbfleisch, and Signature resident artistic associate choreographer Karma Camp, with scenic designer Adam Koch, costume designer Anne Kennedy, lighting designer Chris Lee, and sound designer Matt Rowe.  Kiss of the Spider Woman runs March 11 – April 20, 2008 in Signature's 260-seat MAX Theatre.

With a book by Terrence McNally based on the novel by Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman won seven Tony Awards in 1993: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor in a Musical (Brent Carver in the role of Molina) Best Actress in a Musical (Chita Rivera in the role of Spider Woman/Aurora), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Anthony Crivello in the role of Valentin), and Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz).  It also received five Drama Desk Awards.  The musical weaves A Tale of persecution into a spellbinding theatrical web.  Two men — both jailed by Argentina's dictatorial system for their differing beliefs and lifestyles — come to find comfort in the other's company as the line between reality and fantasy blurs. Contains mature subject matter.

The cast includes Helen Hayes Award winner Erin Driscoll as Marta, Channez McQuay as Molina's mother, Helen Hayes Award winner Steven Cupo as Warden, Christopher Bloch as Esteban, Helen Hayes Award winner Andy Brownstein as Marcos, and the ensemble:  Danny Binstock, Kurt Boehm, Matt Conner, James Gardiner, LC Harden, Jr., and Helen Hayes Award winner Stephen Gregory Smith.

Performances are March 11 – April 20, 2008; officially opening Sunday, March 16 at 7PM or Monday, March 17 at 8PM. Showtimes: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30PM, Thursday & Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 2PM & 8PM, and Sunday at 2PM & 7PM. Exceptions:  There is no 2 pm matinee performance on Saturday, March 15, and no 7:30PM performance on Tuesday, March 18.

Tickets to Kiss of the Spider Woman are $40 - $69 and are now on sale at Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT (7328) or by visiting www.signature-theatre.org

Signature Theatre's four-month Kander & Ebb Celebration begins on March 11 with Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Will Chase as Valentin, Natascia Diaz as Spider Woman/Aurora, and Hunter Foster as Molina. Photo credit John Luck

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