International Broadway: South American Style

Broadway is like an octopus, with tentacles that reach to the far corners of the earth. Peter Pinne discovered there is a lot to enjoy away from the Great White Way.

To see a familiar Broadway show in a foreign language is something every musical theatre tragic should experience at least once. It was my luck to see two on a recent trip to Lima, Peru.

Kander and Ebb’s Chicago was playing at the Teatro Municipal, a grand theatre in downtown Lima that had been extensively refurbished following a fire. As a venue it was not unlike a small European Opera House, with four balconies and stalls that were raked.

The musical was produced by a company called Preludo, whose previous productions included Latin versions of The Sound of Music, A Chorus Line, The Wiz, Jesus Christ Superstar, Man of La Mancha and Cabaret.

The production of Chicago had already played Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Bogota, Colombia, and was to tour to other South American cities.

All performers were highly skilled and could sing, dance and act. Denisse Dibos as Roxy Hart had trained in California. Gabriela Garcia, the choreography advisor, had spent ten years as a member of the Broadway company. Carlos Arana, who advised on the production, was a Broadway producer with his most recent credit being a co-producer onThe Scottsboro Boys.

I was knocked out by the standard, a carbon-copy of the current Broadway production, with dancing and vocals as good as the original, overlaid with a Latin ambience. One aspect I really liked was the orchestra and its use of a piano accordion in the underscore.  

Marco Zunino as Billy Flynn was a true triple threat star - manipulative and oily but always keeping the audience on side with his humor and vocals. And what vocals they were. His voice was to die for. He’s inked to top star next year in a Latin tour of The Boy From Oz and on his Chicago performance the Peter Allen role could not be in better hands.

The first-ever Spanish language production of The Boy from Oz: El Chico de Oz has been confirmed for Saturday, May 25th, 2013 at the beautifully restored Teatro Municipal in Lima Peru.

Marco will be temporarily relocating to New York early in 2013 to learn how to play the piano, how to sing and dance while playing the piano, and how to kick as high as a Radio City Rockette.

The other show treading the boards was Hairspray, which was playing at the Teatro Peruano – Japones (Japanese Theatre). Peruvian television has local sitcoms with men in drag, so the idea of having one of the main characters in a dress was no stretch. And as a good marketing ploy the role of Edna Turnblad was played by TV favorite Sergio Galliani.

The sets were colorful, the costumes smart 60s retro, and the performers never missed a laugh. The average age of the orchestra was late teens and their enthusiasm and professionalism just made the show that much more enjoyable. The production also used two pit singers to help give the vocals some heft.

Both shows were hits and playing to capacity.

So, next time you’re travelling, do yourself a favor, be brave, and go see a Broadway show in a foreign language. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.  

Originaly published in the November / December 2012 edition of Stage Whispers.