"Kiss of the Spiderwoman" by Teatro del Pueblo at the Southern Theater

The 1993 Tony-winning best musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, with music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret) and book by playwright Terrance McNally, was just made into a movie starring Jennifer Lopez. What's better than seeing an acclaimed musical on the screen? Seeing it live on stage! And now finally I had the opportunity to see this rarely done musical, thanks to Teatro del Pueblo. I don't know if the timing with the movie was intentional or coincidental, but this story of two men imprisoned by a fascist regime, one of them escaping into the fantasy world of his beloved movies, couldn't come at a better time. Featuring a talented cast and impressive design in the gorgeous Southern Theater, this is a rare opportunity to see Kiss of the Spider Woman live on stage as it was meant to be, and "celebrate Latine voices, queer identity, and the power of resilience!" Continuing through November 23 only.

"Marisol" at Penumbra Theatre

Although it premiered over 30 years ago, the play Marisol by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera feels like it was written for today. It's an absurd and surreal look at a dystopian society in which, among other things, people are dragged from their beds in the middle of the night and hauled away in handcuffs. Something that is actually happening in our country right now with ICE raids in schools, business, and even homes. Theatre Coup d'Etat produced this play back in 2018, but it's even more relevant today, scarily so. Kudos to Penumbra Theatre Company for programming this play this season, in partnership with Teatro del Pueblo, even though they couldn't have known how relevant it would be today when they chose it some months ago. This play requires some effort from the audience as it's not straight-forward or even entirely sensical, but it's beautifully designed, directed, and acted by the team at Penumbra and Teatro del Pueblo. See it at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul's historic Rondo neighborhood now through November 2.

"Homo Dramaticus" by Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater at the Southern Theater

Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater are combining their resources and talents for their new production of Homo Dramaticus, a series of three short plays by Argentinian playwright Alberto Adellach. Written in response to the Dirty War in Argentina (disclaimer: pretty much everything I know about Argentinian politics is from the musical Evita), these plays are a bleak look at the war and violence in his world, and in ours. They're written in the absurdist style, which means they're not so much narrative stories as a series of characters, scenes, images, feelings. It's beautifully acted and directed, and gorgeously designed. And while I didn't always understand what was happening, this production succeeds in evoking feeling of grief, horror, and dismay at the violence that seems to be intertwined with all of human history. This short run concludes on Sunday, with just three more performances at the Southern Theater.

"Romeo and Juliet: Love in a Time of Hate" by Teatre del Pueblo at Luminary Arts Center

The cancellation of one show (see you in August, Skylark Opera Theatre's Marry Me a Little) allowed me the opportunity to attend opening night of Teatro del Pueblo's new adaptation of the classic tragic love story Romeo and Juliet, which they call Love in a Time of Hate. They've reimagined the Capulets and the Montagues in a border town with Latin American characters, the Capulets a powerful and wealthy political family, the Montaguez revolutionaries fighting for the people. The general story is the same, with some differences in details and characters (Romeo's a street artist, the friar is now a lawyer), and more agency given to Juliet (although not enough to refuse her parents' choice of husband). The result is a powerful and engaging retelling of this familiar story, infused with Latin American culture. I'm glad my schedule opened up so I could see it. The short run continues through June 30 only at Luminary Arts Center in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis (use code TEATRO for 35% off).

"Real Women Have Curves" at Lyric Arts, a co-production with Teatro del Pueblo

Like most good movies, the 2002 film Real Women Have Curves (that gave us America Ferrera) started as a play. Teatro del Pueblo, a #TCTheater Latino theater company that recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, produced the play this summer. Now, Lyric Arts is bringing that production (with much of the cast and creative team returning) to their stage in Anoka for their first ever co-production. I saw the busy Sunday matinee last weekend, and found it to be sweet, funny, and heart-warming. While the story and characters are specific to the Latinx community in East L.A., the themes of female friendship, generational conflict, and body shaming (turned into body positivity) are universal and so relatable. The endearing five-person cast makes us love these women and root for them on their journeys towards happiness and a better life. There's more than one reason to go to the Halloween capital of the world this month, and this charming play is one of them - but only two more weekends remain!

"In the Heights" at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts

Before writing the brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning musical theater masterpiece that is Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote something a little closer to home. The 2008 multiple Tony winner In the Heights is basically a love letter to his family, his neighborhood, his community, his people. Specifically, a community of Latin American immigrants and the children and grandchildren of such immigrants. After seeing the Ordway's glorious production last night, I was reminded of what Oskar Eustis (artistic director of the Public Theater where Hamilton debuted) said about Miranda on the PBS documentary Hamilton's America, that he elevates the language of the common people in a way no one has done since Shakespeare. I was also reminded of playwright August Wilson. I recently saw the movie version of his play Fences, followed by a discussion led by his friend and colleague Marion McClinton, who said that Wilson's plays show that just living a life is noble. In the Heights tells a simple story about average people, in some ways the opposite of Hamilton, which tells an epic story about the founding of a new nation. But In the Heights is epic in its own way, and like August Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda reminds us that the common people who never get rich or famous or written about in history books still live noble lives with stories worth telling and worth listening to. And also, by the way, super fun and entertaining and moving and engrossing.