There’s an undeniable allure attached to the Broadway musical adaptations by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The 1972 film adaptation of Cabaret, reinvented by Bob Fosse, bagged eight Oscars, while the 2002 cinematic rendition of Chicago by director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon remains the last musical to clinch the Best Picture Oscar. Both these adaptations successfully made the musical format palatable, even to those who don’t usually enjoy movie musicals, by weaving the songs into the narrative seamlessly. However, the 1977 original movie musical New York, New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, didn’t fare as well, just like its recent stage version.
It’s heartening to note that the brilliant new film adaptation of their 1993 Tony-winning musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, stands alongside Cabaret and Chicago as an exemplary lesson on capturing the cinematic essence of a Broadway musical while doing justice to it on the big screen, three decades later, in a drastically different cultural era.
The journey began with the 1976 novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig, which was later adapted into an 1985 film that received a Best Picture nomination and won William Hurt the Best Actor Oscar. In the 2025 screen version of the Kander/Ebb show, director and screenwriter Condon revisits Puig’s novel to bring alive its original intent as a love story, now narrated without any constraints, adding a crucial dimension to the tale’s emotional power and relevance for contemporary audiences.
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The narrative revolves around a gay window dresser named Luis Molina (remarkable newcomer Tonatiuh), who is apprehended by the military-run 1983 Argentine government on a morals charge and imprisoned with a Marxist revolutionary named Valentin Arregui Paz (Diego Luna). Molina is promised leniency if he can extract some valuable information from Valentin.
To kill time, Molina narrates to a initially skeptical Valentin the story of a movie musical featuring Ingrid Luna, a superstar who he is obsessed with. As time progresses, the story of the film, along with the embedded love story, gradually merges with the harsh reality of their imprisonment. The Technicolor fantasy of a Hollywood musical transforms into a horrific political nightmare, and eventually a touching human connection between the two men.
That’s the core of what Condon is dealing with here, and in lesser hands, it could be a risky proposition if the audience isn’t intrigued by both facets. To achieve this, Condon made a crucial alteration from the book and musical where Molina was basically either recounting the story of his love for the star, or reflecting on her numerous different films. Here, Condon has crafted a standalone movie musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, where Ingrid’s character Aurora is trapped in the fluffy plot between two men, Kendall Nesbit and Armando, before transforming into the title character. Essentially, the director has juxtaposed a gritty prison drama with the glitzy grandeur of a ’40s and ’50s MGM musical. This ingenious change lends this version an additional reason to stand out as a piece of cinema, not merely a stage-to-screen transfer. For it to work, we need to invest in both, and this is made possible, in no small measure, by the extraordinarily talented cast.
To make this work, Condon had to discard some of the show’s songs, primarily those set in prison. But the loss is more than compensated for, and in fact augmented, by the breathtaking movie musical on display with around 11 production numbers where it’s Jennifer Lopez all the way — singing, dancing, acting — it’s an opportunity she’s never had to showcase on screen before. Lopez has always been underrated for her dramatic acting skills, but fans of the era and the films emulated here will appreciate the comparisons with Columbia musical icon Rita Hayworth, MGM diva Cyd Charisse, Ava Gardner, and even Marilyn Monroe in the delightful “Gimme Love” number (choreographed by Christopher Scott), where Aurora is surrounded by male dancers in the style of Marilyn in “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Despite many of these movies being hampered with absurd plots and dialogue, Condon manages to pay tribute to his musical with one explosive number after another. Gradually, the tone darkens with the eventual title song, and it is chillingly delivered with an air of foreboding reminiscent of Joel Grey’s M.C. in Cabaret. The message appears to be that the fantasy world of a Hollywood soundstage cannot compete with the harsh realities and whims of a dictator.
Luna is not just heart-rending as the politically tortured Valentin, but also doubles as a suave musical star when he’s playing Armando opposite Lopez, showcasing his multi-faceted talents. Breakout discovery Tonatiuh demonstrates why he was chosen after a worldwide search. Equally proficient at meeting the musical demands in his double role as Nesbit, he delivers a heartbreakingly good performance as a movie-obsessed young gay man living in his fantasy world in a repressed society, while also discovering love where he least expected it and against all odds.
Cinematographer Tobias Schliessler is tasked with the challenge of recreating the candy-colored brilliance of an MGM confection, as well as the subdued color and bleakness of an Argentine prison. It’s no easy feat, but achieved superbly. I briefly considered the possibility of presenting the prison scenes in pure black and white, but I think the contrast would come off as too blatant. The smart decision was made here. Scott Chambliss’ excellent production design, in conjunction with the stunning costume design — particularly for Lopez — by Colleen Atwood and Christine Cantella are top-notch, as is Brian A. Kate’s sharp editing. Kudos to choreographer Sergio Trujillo and co-choreographer Brandon Bieber for the sparkling dance numbers.
After a year filled with fascinating musicals from Wicked to Emilia Pérez, Condon continues the tradition of a genre he has mastered earlier on a larger scale with Dreamgirls, Beauty and the Beast, and as a screenwriter on Chicago, demonstrating that it is still vibrant, relevant, and alive even on the budget of independent filmmaking. Premiering tonight at the Sundance Film Festival where he last appeared in 1998 with his Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters, the Sundance juxtaposition of two very different gay stories bound by their shared humanity seems more poignant than ever.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is fittingly dedicated to the late lyricist Fred Ebb, the late playwright Terrence McNally, and the late original Broadway star Chita Rivera.
The producers are Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy, and Greg Yolen. Artists Equity and Mohari Media are presenters, with the former’s Ben Affleck and Matt Damon among executive producers including Lopez, Luna, and Condon among many others. It indeed takes a village to produce an indie movie these days.
Title: Kiss of the Spider Woman
Festival: Sundance (Premieres)
Sales agents: CAA and WME
Director-screenwriter: Bill Condon
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, Aline Mayagoitia
Running time: 2 hr 8 mins
FAQs:
1. Who are the producers of Kiss of the Spider Woman?
– The producers are Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy, and Greg Yolen.
2. Who is the director and screenwriter of Kiss of the Spider Woman?
– Bill Condon is both the director and screenwriter of the film.
3. Who are the main cast members of Kiss of the Spider Woman?
– The main cast includes Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, and Aline Mayagoitia.
4. What is the running time of Kiss of the Spider Woman?
– The running time of the film is 2 hours and 8 minutes.
5. Where did Kiss of the Spider Woman premiere?
– The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Credit: deadline.com
