Berkeley Rep Extends KISS MY AZTEC

Due to demand, Berkeley Rep has announced that the world premiere musical of Kiss My Aztec! will extend for an additional week of performances. The high-energy show directed by Artistic Director Tony Taccone and co-written by Taccone and John Leguizamo was originally scheduled to close on July 14, but will now run through Sunday, July 21.

Starting today, tickets for the added five performances can be purchased online at berkeleyrep.org and by phone at 510 647-2949.

The show continues to garner praise from critics and audiences:

The fresh, irreverent musical comedy Kiss My Aztec! fuses salsa, Latin boogaloo, hip-hop, gospel, funk, merengue, and an inspired mash-up of Elizabethan dialect and modern slang to celebrate, elevate, and commemorate Latinx culture.

European conquest? Hell, no! It may be the 16th century in Spanish-occupied Mesoamerica, but these Aztecs is woke. Led by the unlikely duo of Colombina (a fierce warrior) and Pepe (a not-so-fierce clown), they mount a scrappy resistance against their Spanish oppressors - and somehow get entangled in the dysfunctional dynamics of the Spanish viceroy's bickering family. Will our heroes get conquistadored by whitey or win the day?

Cast members include Angelica Beliard (Ensemble), Chad Carstarphen (El Jaguar Negro/Reymundo), KC de la Cruz (Ensemble), Zachary Infante (Fernando/Sebastian/Ensemble), Yani Marin (Colombina), Jesús E. Martínez (Captain Soldier/Ensemble), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Tolima/Enemble), Joél Pérez (Pepe), Al Rodrigo (Rodrigo/Ensemble), Desiree Rodriguez (Pilar/Ensemble), and Richard Henry Ruiz (Pierre Pierrot/Ensemble).

The creative team includes Benjamin Velez (music, lyrics, and arranger), David Kamp (lyrics), John Leguizamo (lyrics), Maija García (choreography), Clint Ramos (scenic and costume design), Alexander V. Nichols (lighting design), Jessica Paz (sound design), David Gardos (music supervisor), and Simon Hale (orchestrator) with additional percussion arrangements by Wilson Torres. The musical is based on an original screenplay written by John Leguizamo and Stephen Chbosky. Casting for Kiss My Aztec! is provided by Amy Potozkin and Tara Rubin Casting.

Kiss My Aztec! was made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation. Additional support for Kiss My Aztec! has been provided by lead sponsors Frances Hellman and Warren Breslau, and Stewart and Rachelle Owen, and executive sponsors Linda and Steven Wolan.

For the 2018-19 season, Berkeley Rep recognizes the continued commitment and support of season sponsors BART, Peet's Coffee, and Wells Fargo. Berkeley Rep is also delighted to have Bruce Golden and Michelle Mercer, Jack and Betty Schafer, Michael and Sue Steinberg, and The Strauch Kulhanjian Family on board as individual season sponsors.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its ambition, relevance, and excellence, as well as its adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Over 5.5 million people have enjoyed nearly 500 shows at Berkeley Rep, which have gone on to win six Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, one Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. To formalize, enhance, and expand the processes by which Berkeley Rep makes theatre, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work was launched in 2012. The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre engages and educates some 20,000 people a year and helps build the audiences of tomorrow with its nationally recognized teen programs. Berkeley Rep's bustling facilities-which also include the 400-seat Peet's Theatre, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, and a spacious campus in West Berkeley-are helping revitalize a renowned city. Be a Rep.

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