'Spider Woman' Spins Triumphant Web at Signature

SHOW INFORMATION: Through April 20.  Tues – Weds at 7:30PM, Thurs – Fri at 8PM, Sat at 2 and 8PM, Sun at 2 and 7PM.  No performance March 18.  www.signature-theatre.org or 703-573-SEAT. 

◊◊◊◊ 1/2 out of five.  2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission.  Contains graphic scenes of torture, adult language, situations and sexual content.  Production utilizes smoke effects, guns are fired and there is onstage smoking. 

 

While many consider Kander and Ebb's Cabaret and/or Chicago to be their masterpieces, I'd venture to say that their Kiss of the Spider Woman belongs in that category as well.  When it took Broadway by storm in the mid-90's, it swept the Tonys and had a solid run.  As the opening show in Signature Theatre's Kander and Ebb Celebration, the show provides a serious challenge to everything that comes after it.  Under Eric Schaeffer's tight direction, this production fires on all cylinders, creating one of those truly rare evenings of theatre – it thrills, captivates and sweeps over you, leaving you emotionally spent.  To leave the theatre unmoved means you are simply not paying attention. 

That is not to say that this show is perfect; it isn't.  Chief among the problems is Karma Camp's choreography.  While she captures the grandeur of huge movie dance numbers, she isn't particularly mindful of the space on which she is working.  In nearly every dance number, dancers on the extreme sides appear to be crammed in with the rest of the ensemble.  Once, a dancer had to literally walk up a step on a side staircase in order to fit a line of dancing; later, another dancer had to uncomfortably twist himself to compensate for the fact that there simply isn't enough upstage space to effectively spin like the rest of his cast mates.  In a production of this high a caliber, fitting on the stage should be a given.  Still, aside from those types of marginal issues, Camp's choreography serves the show well, and really, when appropriate, showcases the leading lady.  Anne Kennedy's costumes, on the other hand, do little to showcase the leading lady, in so much as little attempt has been made to differentiate any of the characters she is playing in all of the "movie" sequences.  She wears nothing but black – true, she is in a variety of styles, all of them period and mood appropriate – which does not once single out when she is being The Spider Woman (aka death).  Anyone familiar with the show knows when she is death and when she is a more dazzling character, but I am willing to bet that if you asked anyone unfamiliar with it in the audience when she was the Spider Woman, they would probably say she is ALWAYS the Spider Woman, which is not the case at all.  That said, the rest of the costumes work well and have the look of grimy prison garb, and Ms. Kennedy has put across the notion that the dance numbers are inhabited by men in a gay man's fantasy world, scantily clad, shirtless and sweaty as they all are.   

Mr. Schaeffer's direction captures both the epic nature of the themes of Spider Woman and the minute details of the central love triangle.  Simultaneously, he makes you realize the magnitude of the heinous nature of torture and a corrupt prison system devoid of humanity, and the very up close nature of love, passion and triumph of the human spirit.  His staging and use of technical elements certainly makes this production flow easily, and like the films that Molina so dearly loves, the show is very much cinematic, focusing us on tight close-ups or wide shots easily.  Adam Koch's scenic design, a huge, room-filling prison set, with a large playing space center, and beehives of tight jail cells running up both sides, joined by floating bridges or mazes of stairs, fits the bill perfectly.  It gives literally dozens of possible playing spaces, a continuous view of the life at the prison, and at the same time easily converts into a movie sound stage.  In short, it is both terrifyingly claustrophobic and grand in scale, just like the play itself.  The real technical star of the evening, though, is Chris Lee's visually stunning lighting design.  His use of color is breathtaking, as is his careful attention to the areas of darkness that always creep around the edges.  Easily, his most ingenious use of light is the pinpoints of light that surround the playing space of Molina and Valentin's cell.  They beam upward from the floor, creating pipe-like walls, but fade out allowing us to focus on what is happening inside those bars. 

Throughout the evening, Schaeffer and team create theatrical moments that dazzle, provoke and mesmerize.  One such moment occurs in a scene that includes the chilling reality of systematic torture of an unnamed, faceless prisoner, then escalates with the appearance of the Spider Woman, who is both frightening and soothing at once.  We know death is at hand when she appears; collapsed in a tableau of final agony, the dead prisoner lifts himself up, giving in to the mercy of her web, spiraling closer until their lips meet in a moment of euphoric ecstasy.  That moment alone would qualify as one of the best of any of the last two seasons, but then there is the similarly magical theatricality of the entire final, heartbreaking sequence of events; about ten minutes of hold-your-breath excitement rarely seen onstage. 

The supporting cast is uniformly good (with one exception).  As the prisoners/men of Molina's fantasies, the group of men – Danny Binstock, Kurt Boehm, Matt Conner, James Gardiner, LC Harden, Jr., and Stephen Gregory Smith - are excellent singers/dancers and, most importantly, actors, portraying the effects of years of torture and malnutrition with fearsome reality.  Sustaining that much tension must be exhausting.  Mr. Gardiner's Gabriel (friend and would-be lover of Molina) is appropriately timid, though his vocals seemed just a tad thin in his one duet. 

The seething nastiness of the prison guards is brought to disgusting (appropriately so) life by Christopher Bloch and Andy Brownstein.  Both men are fierce and unflinching, and their characterization is so real, you'd think they really were enjoying their gruesome tasks of torture.  On the other hand, the Warden, as played by Steven Cupo, is not nearly as sinister by virtue of the fact that Mr. Cupo gives not one minute of realism/believability to his role.  Rather, he comes across as a cartoon of a man; you'd not be surprised to find him twirling his mustache or bellowing "muah-ha-ha-ha" after every dirty deed.  Considering all of the metal on the set, he should have razor sharp fangs by the end of the run should his needless scenery chewing continue unchecked.  Instead of a cold, calculating dictator, we have Snidely Whiplash or any villain from a James Bond film. 

Considering their decided lack of stage time (by design of Terrence McNally's brilliant book), it is amazing how much power Chanez McQuay (as Molina's mother) and Erin Driscoll (as Marta, Valentin's lover) bring to their characters and the story.  Nowhere is that more evident than in the stirring ballad "Dear One" sung by both with Molina and Valentin.  And Ms. McQuay's rendition of "You Could Never Shame Me" should be required viewing by all parents. 

The specter of the Spider Woman's originator, Chita Rivera, looms large both figuratively and literally over the Signature Theatre.  Her take on the role is part of Tony-winning legend, and Ms. Rivera's picture hangs literally larger than life in the lobby, heralding what is likely her next stage triumph, The Visit.  So it is no small accomplishment to say that Natascia Diaz not only handles the role well, but flourishes in showcasing her own unique talents.  She may not have the belting power of Rivera, but her voice suits the role well, with an ironic underlying sadness mixed with a maddening calm.  The role also showcases the multi-facted nature of this delightful talent.  Ms. Diaz is all sensuality and coy femininity in "Where You Are," shows a palpable sensitivity in "I  Do Miracles," and tears up the room with her ravishing "Kiss of the Spider Woman," amazing not for blowing out the walls, but rather for letting the number build until the tension is unbearable.  Dancing is also one of her obvious talents – showcased in "Where You Are" and "Gimme Love".  But it is her beautifully comic turn in the "Russian Movie/Good Times" sequence that wins your heart.  At that point, she and the audience are one. 

Hunter Foster (as Molina) is no less than astonishing.  Mr. Foster gives his Molina an endearing femininity without lapsing into sad gay stereotypes – a lovely, rich performance.  He wears his "girlish" qualities like a protective armor, more like he knows that is what is expected and less like a crutch, making him both strong and vulnerable and less of a neat pigeon-holed package.  He also balances deft comic timing (likely fine tuned by his years in The Producers and Urinetown) with a subtle intensity which flares up at just the right moments.  It is as easy to fall prey to his seductive charms as it is Ms. Diaz'.  His comic flare shows in his teasing rendition of "Dressing Them Up," and his heartrending "She's a Woman" is the perfect platform for his plentiful dramatic abilities. 

If Mr. Foster is astonishing, then Will Chase (as Valentin) is a revelation, giving perhaps the definitive performance of this role.  Watching him peel away layer after layer of machismo and bravado is a marvel.  And he plays the ambiguity of the final moments exquisitely – does he allow Molina physical pleasure simply to get him to do his bidding?  The anguished cries and moans that Mr. Chase bellows as he kneels bound before his friend, who is about to be murdered are sounds that may haunt this critic for the foreseeable future.  I think it is safe to say that both men, given these interpretations, have found love and commonality where they least expected it, and we are all the richer for it.  Chase's vocal prowess is best exhibited in "The Day After That," but he is the complete package from "Anything for Him" until the play's final exalting moments. 

One can't imagine a much better production of Kiss of the Spider Woman than this one, really.  The production really shows that this is a timeless work, dated in no way and as fresh and important as when it debuted.  I imagine Mr. Kander is thrilled and that the late Mr. Ebb is looking down on Signature Theatre and smiling proudly.  Miss this amazing performance at your peril; it will leave you changed in unexpected ways.

 

PHOTOS of the Signature Theatre production of Kander and Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman by Scott Suchman.  TOP to BOTTOM: Natascia Diaz (top, center) as Aurora and the Ensemble; Hunter Foster as Molina; The Ensemble; Natascia Diaz and the Ensemble; Hunter Foster as Molina and Will Chase as Valentin; and Hunter Foster as Molina and Natascia Diaz as The Spider Woman.