Krystina Alabado, Angelica Maria Beliard & More to Lead Pre-Broadway KISS MY AZTEC! at Hartford Stage

Hartford Stage announced today the cast and creatives for its upcoming production of the East Coast Premiere of the hilarious Kiss My Aztec! An upbeat musical comedy, Kiss My Aztec! features a book by comedy legend John Leguizamo and acclaimed director Tony Taccone; music by Benjamin Velez; lyrics by David Kamp, Leguizamo and Velez; and choreography by Mayte Natalio. This pre-Broadway production, which will be directed by Tony Taccone, runs June 1 through June 26 at the Tony Award-winning theatre located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford.

From comedy legend John Leguizamo and director Tony Taccone comes an irreverent new musical loosely based on Latin American history...very loosely! Travel back to the 16th century as a group of Aztecs lead the resistance against Spanish invaders. With a fierce female warrior at the helm and a not-so-fierce clown in tow, they mount a scrappy attack - and get entangled with royalty, colonizers, pop stars, and puppets! With music and lyrics from Benjamin Velez and David Kamp, Kiss My Aztec!'s musical fusion of salsa, gospel, hip-hop, funk, and meringue makes for a jubilant and hilarious celebration of Hispanic & Latin culture.

The cast includes Krystina Alabado (Broadway: Mean Girls, American Idiot; TV: Disney's Better Nate Than Ever), Angelica Maria Beliard (Broadway: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, On Your Feet), KC Dela Cruz (Kiss My Aztec! for La Jolla Playhouse, Smokey Joe's Cafe with Tri-Valley Repertory), Chad Carstarphen (Kiss My Aztec! for Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse, National Tour of In the Heights), Nicholas Caycedo (Regional: In the Heights for Seacoast Repertory, Little Shop of Horrors for Creede Repertory Theatre), Eddie Cooper (Off-Broadway: The Cradle Will Rock, This Ain't No Disco), Richard Ruiz Henry (Off-Broadway: The Streets of New York; National Tour: Urinetown, Sweet Charity), Z Infante (Off-Broadway: Fairycakes; Regional: Kiss My Aztec! at Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse), Jesus E. Martinez (Film: In the Heights; Regional: Kiss My Aztec! at Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Broadway: Amélie; Off-Broadway: Here Lies Love), Joel Perez (Broadway: Fun Home; Film: Tick, Tick...Boom!), Geena Quintos (Broadway: Miss Saigon; Off-Broadway: Emojiland), Daniela Rodrigo (Regional: Heathers for Gatehouse Theatre Company, Children Will Listen at the Hollywood Bowl), Desiree Rodriguez (TV: Orange is the New Black; Regional: Kiss My Aztec! at Berkeley Rep/La Jolla Playhouse), and Matt Saldivar (Broadway: Bernhardt/Hamlet, Junk, Honeymoon in Vegas).

The production team includes Scenic and Costume Designer Clint Ramos (scenic design for Slave Play on Broadway; costume design for the motion picture Respect with Jennifer Hudson); Lighting Designer Alexander V. Nichols (Broadway: Latin History for Morons, Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway); Sound Designers Jessica Paz (Broadway: co-design of Hadestown; Public Theatre at the Delacorte: Coriolanus, Much Ado About Nothing) and Beth Lake (Regional: Selling Kabul and Ghosts for Williamstown Theatre Festival); Hair & Wig Designer Charles G. LaPointe (Broadway: Beetlejuice, Mr. Saturday Night, MJ - The Musical); Production Stage Manager Jeff Rodriguez (Broadway: Kiss Me Kate, Thérèse Raquin); Music Supervisor David Gardos (Broadway: Big Fish; National Tour: In the Heights); Music Director Roberto Sinha (National Tour: Hamilton, Kinky Boots); and Puppet Designer James Ortiz (The Public Theatre: Disney's Hercules, As You Like It). Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting: Xavier Rubiano, CSA.

Since the announcement of the production, more seats have been put on sale including an added performance on Wednesday, June 1 at 7:30PM, plus a new zone of seats closer to the stage for all performances. Tickets in that fan section are $45 and come with a limited-edition swag bag with a free drink coupon that can be picked up at the Hartford Stage gift shop.

Kiss My Aztec! runs in previews from June 1 through June 9. Opening Night is Friday, June 10 at 8pm. The production is set to run through June 26 with performances Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; and Sunday matinees at 2pm. There are 2pm matinees on Wednesday, June 15 and Saturday, June 11 and 25. The Open Captioned performance is Sunday, June 19 at 2 pm. The Audio Described performance is Saturday, June 25 at 2 pm. Talkbacks with the cast will take place following the matinee performance on June 12, evening performance on June 14, and matinee performance on June 15.

Tickets for Kiss My Aztec! are $30-$100 with discounts for students and groups. Tickets can be purchased by visiting HartfordStage.org, by calling (860) 527-5151, or by visiting the Hartford Stage Box Office at 50 Church Street, Hartford, CT from noon to 5pm.

Starting June 1, masks will be welcomed and encouraged at Hartford Stage, but not required at most performances. Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or negative tests will also no longer be required, except for performances on Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30pm, Tuesday, June 14 at 7:30pm, Friday, June 17 at 8:00pm, and Saturday, June 25 at 2:00pm, which have been designated as Mask & Vaccination Required days. For more details and to learn how Hartford Stage will continue to keep audiences, artists, and staff safe, please visit hartfordstage.org/covid-19.

The Hartford Stage production of Kiss My Aztec! is produced by special arrangement with Joey Parnes. Kiss My Aztec! was originally commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The world premiere was produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse, made possible by a generous grant from the Roy Cockrum Foundation. Major support for Hartford Stage is provided by Raise the Curtain Leadership Sponsor Stanley Black & Decker, who is also the Exclusive Production Sponsor of Kiss My Aztec!. The Hartford is the Presenting Opening Night Sponsor and Travelers is Hartford Stage's 2021/2022 Season Sponsor.

About Hartford Stage

Led by Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider, Hartford Stage's mission is to enlighten, entertain, and educate by creating theatrical works of the highest caliber that have a transformative impact on audiences, the community, and its field. Hartford Stage has presented the world premieres of the new musical Anastasia; Rear Window with Kevin Bacon; Reverberation by Matthew Lopez; Big Dance Theatre's Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov; Breath & Imagination by Daniel Beaty; A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway, winner of four 2014 Tony Awards; and Quiara Alegría Hudes' Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Hartford Stage's Education programs have engaged more than 20,000 students annually, including student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, and theatre classes for youth and adults. www.hartfordstage.org