When first I heard that Kiss of the Spider Woman (originally brought to the screen in 1985, winning an Oscar for William Hurt) was being turned into a Broadway musical, it struck me as an odd choice. After all, it’s a drama about a revolutionary named Valentín and Molina, an apolitical gay man, who are imprisoned in Brazil during a military dictatorship. But then I remembered that it was also about survival, and the power of escapism to endure the worst circumstances. Molina helps his friend by creating a storytelling fantasy, as he recounts the plot of his favorite classic film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring his favorite diva actress.
Then I thought about it: Movies are escapism, sure, but musicals? There’s no better break from dire reality than bursting into song! Adapting Spider Woman into a musical was a no-brainer. The 90s Broadway version had songs by Kander and Ebb and won a slew of Tonys, so it was inevitable that the story would eventually return to the big screen with music intact.
In this cinematic incarnation, the story moves to 1980s Argentina, and Molina (Tonatiuh) has been thrown into prison for public indecency, finding the brooding tight-lipped revolutionary Valentín (Diego Luna) as his cellmate. Molina’s flamboyance is met with slight irritation by Valentín, but Molina is surprised by Valentín’s scolding: Valentín is not snapping at him for his over-the-top queerness, but for Molina’s constant self-deprecation, saying his cellmate should have no shame for who he is.
Molina passes time for the two men by recounting the titular musical, now in full Technicolor mode. Toggling between the grey, oppressive prison walls and a vibrant musical fantasia, we are brought into the retelling of Spider Woman with Jennifer Lopez starring as Molina’s diva Ingrid Luna, and Molina and Valentín themselves inserted as main characters.
Jennifer Lopez is exactly as she should be: perfectly glamorous, singing and dancing her way through her scenes with the flawless dazzle of a celluloid star. There’s a particularly memorable scene at a dance hall, where the local gangster dances aggressively with all the women in the room, finding “La Luna” to be the only woman who gets his nod of respect. Lopez does double-duty as the legendary Spider Woman who haunts the story, looking unsurprisingly gorgeous as the ultimate seductive goth queen waiting for a sacrificial man.
Diego Luna is… fine. Valentín is coiled and secretive, testy and explosive. But I couldn’t help but miss Raul Julia’s 1985 interpretation of the character. His Valentín worked so well because he emanated a smoldering burning spirit and tortured masculinity. Diego Luna is more wily and thoughtfully sensitive—a good emotional match for Tonatiuh, but seems miscast when opposite Lopez in the fantasy sequences.
But it was Tonatiuh that really grabbed my attention. Handsome and charming with a killer voice, Tonatiuh’s fantasy self is supposed to be overshadowed by Diego Luna as Lopez’s love interest… but wow, Tonatiuh steals all the musical scenes. In contrast to his debonair fantasy persona, Tonatiuh’s sensitive Molina can’t help but wear his heart on his sleeve when back in reality. The more his character falls deeper his own personal conflict during his imprisonment, the more heartbreaking his performance. Tonatiuh absolutely carries the movie for me. He’s really, really wonderful.
