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Natascia Diaz Will Weave Spider Woman's Musical Web in DC
By Kenneth Jones
14 Dec 2007
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Natascia Diaz
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Signature Theatre Company in Arlington, VA, has its title player for The Kiss of the Spider Woman — Natascia Diaz.
The revival of the musical based on the Manuel Puig novel, with songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb and book by Terrence McNally, runs March 11-April 20, 2008, as part of Signature's Kander & Ebb Celebration.
Eric Schaeffer, artistic director of Signature Theatre, announced Dec. 14 that the triple-threat Diaz will star as the metaphoric feminine spirit in The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Diaz is acclaimed for her versatility as an actress, singer and dancer. She came to national attention as Anita in a national tour of West Side Story. Diaz is the daughter of opera bass Justino Diaz and ballerina Anna Aragno. She trained
at the School of American Ballet and went on to receive her BFA, graduating with honors, from Carnegie Mellon University. Her first Off-Broadway show was The Little Prince at the John Houseman; her first Broadway credit was Lincoln Center Theater's award-winning revival of Carousel. She also appeared in Off-Broadway's Bright Lights, Big City; and the revival of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.
Diaz danced the role of Anita with the New York City Ballet for their West Side Story Suites directed by Jerome Robbins, and she received casting approval from both Robbins and librettist Arthur Laurents to perform the role in the national touring production of West Side Story. Her breakout performance as Anita won her Chicago's prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award, a Bay Area Theater Critics Award nomination, and critical acclaim both across the country and internationally.
Washington, DC-area audiences have seen her in West Side Story and Carnival, and, as part of the Kennedy Center Sondheim Festival, in A Little Night Music as Petra.
No additional casting has been announced for The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Signature Theatre's creative team for The Kiss of the Spider Woman will include director Eric Schaeffer, choreographer Karma Camp, music director Jon Kalbfleisch, costume designer Anne Kennedy, set designer Adam Koch and sound designer Matt Rowe.
The March-June 2008 Kander & Ebb Celebration will feature the East Coast premiere of The Visit (May 13-June 22, 2008) starring Chita Rivera; the rarely produced work The Happy Time; the Tony Award-nominated artist Karen Akers in her critically acclaimed new cabaret show First You Dream: The Songs of Kander & Ebb; and other events to be announced.
For more information visit www.signature-theatre.org.
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