Kander and McNally To Speak at 10/5 Industry Night Performance of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN

Composer John Kander and book-writer Terrence McNally will be participating in a pre-show discussion about the creation and history of their musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. The event will take place at New York University's Frederick Loewe Theatre on Monday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in conjunction with that evening's 8 p.m. performance. The pre-show discussion has no additional admission price, but a ticket for the evening performance is required. That evening is also "Industry Night" at NYU's performance. Anyone attending that presents a union card (AEA, SDC, USA, Local 802, IATSE, etc.) will be admitted free for the evening.

NYU's Kiss of the Spider Woman runs October 1, 2, 3 & 5 at 8 p.m. and October 4 at 3 p.m. at the Frederick Loewe Theatre at 35 West 4th Street. For more information and to make ticket reservations, call (212) 998-5281 or email steinhardt.boxoffice@nyu.edu

The production will be directed by John Simpkins, with music direction by Stan Tucker and choreography by Jennifer Werner. The cast and orchestra will feature the students from The Steinhardt School's Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

For more information or press inquiries about Kiss of the Spider Woman, please contact the Steinhardt Production Office at (212) 998-5069.
Kiss of the Spider Woman features a score by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Terrence McNally. Based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña, the musical had productions in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1995), Toronto, Canada (Canstage 1992), the West End (1992), and Broadway (1993). The role of the Spider Woman was played on Broadway by both Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams.

Winner of the 1993 Tony Award for Best Broadway Musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman turns an otherwise tale of persecution into a dazzling spectacle that juxtaposes gritty realities with fantasies. Cellmates in a Latin American prison, Valentin is a revolutionary undergoing torture and Molina is a homosexual serving time for sexually deviant behavior. Molina shares his fantasies about an actress with Valentin. One of her roles is a Spider Woman who kills with a kiss.

Photo credit Walter McBride