Prison squalor, escapist fantasies, brutality, love and betrayal are set to pulsating Latin rhythms as the Kensington Arts Theatre tackles "Kiss of the Spider Woman." A dark musical with flamboyant fantasy sequences, it churns through a grim tale, transforming it into a haunting study of the healing power of imagination.
With a story based on the relationship between two men in a South American prison, the show may be edgier than the usual community-theater fare, but the Kensington troupe, directed by Craig Pettinati, doesn't flinch. The violence, homosexuality and gritty realism of Terrence McNally's script remain intact, framed by a vibrant score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and highlighted by compelling performances by Diego Prieto and Andy Izquierdo.
Prieto is an established, award-winning singer and actor whose credits include performing at Arena Stage. Izquierdo may not be as well known, but he is rapidly making his way to the top of directors' wish lists, a leading man able to handle intense drama as well as comedy and blessed with a beautiful voice. Here, Prieto is Molina, a gay window dresser held in the foul prison for some time on a morals charge, and Izquierdo is Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary tossed, beaten and bloody, into Molina's cell.
Gentle Molina survives by escaping into fantasy, reliving movies made by cinema diva Aurora. He loves them all, except for a horror film in which she is a "spider woman" who kills with her kiss, a point that leads to a searing climax as Molina's fantasies merge with reality.
Valentin is initially repulsed by Molina's lack of serious purpose, but the two eventually reach accommodation, and the firebrand comes to enjoy Molina's film re-creations. Things become complicated when the warden orders Molina to ferret out information from his cellmate and betray him if he wishes to be freed and return to his ailing mother.
Prieto ably switches teams, both political and sexual, for a poignant performance. His Molina is softly effeminate, the actor avoiding overt cliches with an inner-directed performance, his voice alternately soaring and silky. Izquierdo magnificently handles Kander's demanding score, particularly in the almost operatic "Dear One," where the prisoners are ably joined by Kim Weaver as Molina's mother and Calvert Thompson as Valentin's lover, Marta, and in the stirring anthem "The Day After That," backed by a chorus of convicts.
As Aurora, Karissa Swanigan doesn't fully project the larger-than-life persona required for the glamorous cinema icon. She occasionally struggles with the vocal demands, particularly when reaching for lower notes, an exertion strikingly evident in the lilting "I Do Miracles." Aurora may be the title role, but Swanigan is overshadowed by Prieto and Izquierdo.
The show is not entirely dark. The complex, Latin-themed score can be light and even funny, such as when Molina remembers his life of ease as a free man in "Dressing Them Up."
First-time KAT music director Amy Martin creates a wide variety of lush sounds from her keyboard, leading three other musicians perched above the set. When the troupe has used small music groups in the past, they have sounded ragged, but Martin has deftly blended the instruments, creating a richer sound than one might expect from so few musicians. Matt Kamer's prison set is anchored on a cell that revolves and moves, refreshing the eyes while also making space for synchronized movement and dance.
There is, however, little shift in atmosphere between grim reality and fantasies. This significant weakness, which is primarily the result of lackluster, flat lighting, diminishes the production's strengths. Although there are more than three dozen lights visible overhead, the troupe relies heavily on the antiseptic glare of a shadow-creating spotlight, giving both prison and fantasy sequences the ambiance of a hospital operating room. It's time to sell that spotlight for scrap metal and use the proceeds to buy colored lighting gels and a handbook on theater lighting.
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" continues through June 4 at Kensington Town Center, 3710 Mitchell St. Showtime Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays is 8 p.m. For information and reservations, call 301-547-7101 or visithttp://www.katonline.org.
