Playwright: Terence McNally ( book ) ; John Kander, Fred Ebb ( Music and lyrics )
At: Bailiwick Repertory, 1229 W. Belmont
Phone: ( 773 ) 883-1090; $25-$30
Runs through: Feb. 18
Kiss of the Spider Woman is just as timely today as it was when it first premiered in 1993, shining its spotlight on the injustices experienced by political prisoners and a time of social and political unrest. Today's turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere make its message of escapism, loyalty, love and friendship all the more potent.
Based on Manuel Puig's 1976 novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the story of two men thrown together in a Latin American prison. Molina is a flamboyantly gay window dresser imprisoned for sexual activity with a minor, and Valentin is a straight revolutionary, bursting with secrets the current regime wants to bring to the surface. The two men, wildly different in so many ways, forge a heartfelt and stirring friendship in this environment of oppression. What brings them together as much as their shared bond of being subjects of governmental intolerance are the dreams spun out by Molina, who buoys the pair's days and nights with stories of Aurora, a cinematic B-movie queen, and her triumphs and failures.
The play is as much about escapism as it is about anything political. The musical numbers, mostly revolving around Aurora herself and loved ones left behind, demonstrate the power of imagination over the power of a way of life imposed by a political regime. They tell us that the one freedom that can never be taken away is the freedom of our minds and of how and who we choose to love. Kiss of the Spider Woman itself is a vehicle of escapism, taking us into a world where torture and degradation can be forgotten at least for as long as a musical number lasts.
Bailiwick and director Susan Finque deliver a very serviceable production here. The Bailiwick's main stage theater, small and not the stuff promised by downtown marquees, works very well in presenting the barebones world of near-Third World confinement. Rebecca Hamlin's set design shines because it's evocative and versatile, allowing us to experience at once the downtrodden atmosphere of prison life and the flights of fancy Molina spins out. Robert Ollis' musical direction sparkles and the small orchestra is the perfect accompaniment to the story.
Finque has a great ensemble to work with. As Molina, Ryan Lanning manages to create a character that is at once fiercely strong and achingly vulnerable. Stan Q. Wash's Valentin is tortured and takes us on a journey from despair to trust and back again. As the cinematic angel that flickers over both of these men, Katherine Lynn Condit does careful work, hitting the right notes and dancing the right steps, yet never really seems to capture the air of the ethereal probably intended for the part. All in all, one couldn't ask for a better production of this solid musical from a theater with the size and limitations of the Bailiwick. It's a trip into prison that's worth taking ... and one that you won't soon forget, once freed.
